Trop Sensible
by jd4941
Summary: AU Emma had it so wrong. But by the time she realizes this fact is it too late? Regina and Emma were once young girls with their whole lives ahead of them. But Regina had been made to suffer at the cruel hands of the White Family. Years later those two young, innocent girls have now become full fledged women. Which path will they choose now? TW inside.
1. Chapter 1

***** I do not own OUaT nor their characters. *****

 **Make sure you take note of the trigger warnings at the beginning of this story. I'll also post them at the beginning of every chapter.**

 **Now, as always enjoy :)**

 **PROLOGUE**

Emma Nolan White's nerves were getting the better of her and she knew things wouldn't end well for her if she couldn't get herself to calm down. Her knee bounced relentlessly and her pulse was racing. She had lifted her fingers to lips to chew on her nails more than once already only to receive one of her Mother's glare that would remind her of the consequences of showing weakness when they were supposed to be above the new owners. Her adrenaline levels were hyped up and she really wanted to pace off some of the nervous energy. Yet she knew it was in her best interests to remain sitting at her Mother's right hand side where she'd been told her entire life she belonged.

Today was the day she'd learn about the rest of her life. She stopped short as that sentence ran through her mind on repeat. This was never how her life was supposed to be. And yet due to circumstances beyond her control her fate had been decided for her years ago.

Now here she was sitting to the right of the helm of the table at the ripe old age of 25. Having spent most of her life rebelling against her Mother's demands on her life she had arrived at the exact place that her Mother had always told her she belonged.

Her Mother sat at the head of the conference table. She held herself still and regal as usual. Though Snow was a petite woman that in no way made her easy prey. She had a bite filled with venom and a bark that could make grown men squirm. She had learned that she was in command at all times from her Father and it was every one else's job to fall in line.

To her Mother's left sat Killian Hook. He was her Mother's protégé. He and Emma had been 'dating' for the past couple of years. He had asked her to marry him three times already and each time she'd managed to wriggle out of it. This didn't faze him though. Her Mother and he both were certain there'd be a yes sooner than later.

Emma wasn't so sure though. Honestly she knew that she didn't even like him very much. And when Killian fell asleep after what was supposed to be lovemaking the emptiness crept back into Emma's soul. She knew that she didn't have feelings for him that a woman should have for a man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. In her entire life she'd only ever felt that way about one person. And when she'd stood in the face of her betrayal Emma had instead buried those feelings for a lifetime. She'd stepped up and become the daughter her Mother always wanted instead of the punk rebel who could do nothing right in her Mother's eyes.

Now they sat in a private conference room awaiting their fate. The company that her Grandfather, Snow's Father, had spent years building up had taken a huge fall. Snow had taken the family business public soon after taking over from her Father. It had been deemed a brilliant bold business move at the time that was set to make them billions. But business hadn't gone as planned.

They'd been outbid on many projects and it seemed like every move they made they were being chased. The company had been forced to a standstill after their last ditch attempt had gone awry. They found out too late that Stableman Enterprises had secretly been buying up all the shares of their company for the past few years. They now held controlling interest.

For now, Snow still held the title of CEO of the White Alliance. But in minutes they would come face to face with their new boss. And it would be up to them whether or not they continued to allow the old guard their dignity and a path forward to working together. Or take everything they had and leave them with nothing.

The door opened slowly and Emma's breath caught in her throat as she waited….

RQ

"They're here," a nasally disembodied voice spoke through the intercom.

"Thank you, Ashley. I'll be there in a few minutes," Regina informed her secretary. She looked around the room at all of the anxious faces. Granny, Ruby, Cora, and Zelena all sat on the sofas that lined the walls in the far corner of her office. Their faces were filled with worry but also sadness. They all knew what this meant to her.

As a young girl, Regina had suffered at the hands of all three living generations of the White family. They had taken her innocence and rewarded her with a cruelty that almost destroyed her and her family. Snow's father had long since been dead and buried. But his daughter and granddaughter still remained. And now was the time for the wrongs she had suffered at their hands to be avenged.

"Are you sure you're ready for this dear?" Cora asked her daughter. She knew that Regina had spent years orchestrating this moment. Honestly she was proud of her. But she had never wanted what had been done to her to destroy her little girl. She understood that Regina felt like she was reclaiming herself. She just hoped that this really was what Regina wanted and they could close the door on this chapter of their lives.

This entire situation had always been an emotional one for the family. The White family had put them through pure hell. Finally the horror she'd endured could be laid to proper rest.

Regina stared at one of the biggest and most prominent photographs on her desk. It was a picture of her entire family. It had been taken right before her Father had passed. They had spent the day at the beach in Puerto Rico and had asked a passerby to take it so that the entire family would fit. There was Henry Sr. holding a 5 year old Henry Jr. in his arms. Cora and Granny stood behind his wheelchair as Zelena and Ruby kneeled on either side of it. Zelena held their 3 year old Sophia Lucia on her lap. And Ruby held their 1 year old Bailey Madison on her lap. Regina and her beloved Daniel were standing to the side of the wheelchair. Daniel's arms were around her bulging waist as his hands rested upon her distended belly.

She had been carrying their youngest, Baby Danny at the time. It had been one of many days they'd shared that had been shared with sunshine and laughter. After so many dark days, they tended to embrace any bit of happiness they could find and hold onto it dearly. This photograph was clearly a commemoration to that. That's why it had always been Regina's favorite.

With the robbing of her innocence had come the opening of her eyes. Daniel had taken her under wing and taught her everything that he knew about business, life, and the path she'd found herself on. He'd been a steady rock that sheltered her throughout the ensuing storms.

She kissed her fingertips and ran them down the front of that photograph, We made it, mi amor," she whispered. The irony of the man who had made all of this possible no longer being here was still a pain she was coming to terms with. Her Daniel had been taken from her by a careless driver just a week ago.

Regina closed her eyes as the now familiar pain clenched at her heart. She gave herself only a second to embrace it before pushing it back. When she opened her eyes, the entire room reeled back.

Regina was clearly strong. After all she'd endured, to still be standing was a miracle. She not only was standing. She was also moving forward.

She stood and looked around at the worried faces. She gave a smile that was meant to be reassuring and yet it was the strength of her conviction from her words gave that allowed them all to let go of the collective breath they'd been holding.

She raised her chin and threw back her head. She caught her Mother's eyes and held them. Her lips curved upward, "I was born ready." She turned on her heel and headed toward the conference room.

Ashley and two of her guards joined her as she made her way down to the conference room. Her guard slowly opened the door ahead of her then stood back to allow her to pass.

She walked into the room with her head held high and her back ramrod straight. She heard a gasp from Emma's direction as she entered. But her eyes were narrowed on the woman who sat at the head.

Snow White's face paled even more than her namesake. Her eyes bulged and her mouth dropped slightly. Though she regained her composure quickly and immediately threw up a wall Regina relished seeing that small hint of fear right before she drew her back taut again.

Regina's eyes narrowed on her, "the last time I saw you I told you that I would never look upon you again. And I meant it," she turned to her guards. "Escort her off my premises."

Snow scoffed and waved them away as they came closer to her. She rose and threw Regina a scathing glare. She smoothed down her dress and raised her chin. She began to walk out of her own volition. As she passed Regina she muttered under her breath, "I won't forget this whore."

Regina smirked, "I should hope not. I'll send you a copy of the security footage so that we can each have one to remember your final moments by."

A man that her sources had told her was called Killian, who was also Snow's new protégé rose. His face was red and angry as he shouted, "You don't have the right."

Regina sat at the opposite end of the table completely ignoring him. Ashley took the seat beside her. She slowly raised her eyes to look at Emma.

It was the first time in years that she'd laid eyes on her. The last time she had been blinded by so many tears brought on by the White family that Emma had become nothing more than a blurred vision. But they were no longer schoolgirls in love. They had now become.

Emma still looked much the same. There were some light signs of aging. Her skin was a little more aged looking. Her eyes carried a shadow that matched Regina's own. She was sitting with her mouth agape and her eyes were as round as saucers. This, from the girl who had once upon a time never allowed anything to ruffle her aura of cool. She was now clearly rattled.

Regina ignored Killian in favor of addressing Emma. "Hello Emma," she drawled. She quirked an eyebrow at her, "shall we began?"


	2. In the Beginning

**CHAPTER 1 IN THE BEGINNING**

Regina sat at one of the tables that were situated in the very back of the library. She kicked her feet lightly as she chewed on the end of her pen.

She was waiting for one of her students. Her Mother was headmistress at the prestigious White School of Higher Learning. It was a boarding school for a large variety of elite families. Her tuition and her sister's had come with her Mother's job. But they didn't stay in the school with the rest of the students. They lived in a house on the outskirts of the school grounds.

She earned her pocket money on the side by tutoring. She charged them exorbitant amounts to help them get along well enough in their classes and not completely flunk out school.

Though the school catered to the rich that in no way made it subpar. The curriculum was rigorous. But it was worth it. Graduating from this institution pretty much guaranteed you a place at any college in the world.

A stack of books dropped heavily onto the table in front of her before one of the chairs across from her were dragged out noisily. A body was thrown down in the seat across from her with a heavy sigh. "Let's get this over with."

Regina looked up but not directly at her student. She looked just past her shoulder where she could see one of the librarians look their way with a frown. Then she saw her eyes recognize who had dared to disturb their quiet. Her head reared back and she snapped the retort that was on edge of her lips back. She averted her face and sat back down in her seat.

She turned toward her student. It was none other than Emma White herself. Her grandfather had founded the school. And Emma was legendary as the biggest rebel who went out of her way to break as many of their rules as possible.

When she made eye contact Emma's eyes quickly darted away. "Excuse me?" Regina asked curious as to what would make the toughest girl on campus seemingly nervous.

Emma licked her lips nervously. Her knee began to bounce and she slumped back in her chair with her legs outstretched and crossed at the ankle to hide the shaking. Her Mother had forced her to go to tutoring to get her grades up to what she called 'gentleman C's'. Emma had grunted and groaned the entire time but this was one of the times her Mother had put her foot down.

Because her family's name was literally attached to this place Emma had of course become known to all of the staff. She had met the Headmistress and her family on several occasions since she had been required to work with the family. She had also met her daughters.

Her eldest daughter, the redhead had been valedictorian of their last graduating class. From what she remembered of this daughter, she was also set to graduate early. And would no doubt also be valedictorian of her class.

What she remembered from their earlier meetings was that the girl was petite and rather shy. She had skipped a grade or two and had obviously had a late puberty. She only seemed to interact with a few people when forced by her Mother. Aside from that, she had seemed to drift into the shadows and Emma had deemed her too boring to be worthy of her time.

At the time of their last meeting, Emma had been too busy to really pay attention to the fact that her puberty had obviously come to pass. She had been waiting for a prank that she had devised where the sprinklers would be tripped inside the house and everyone would be forced to run dripping wet and screaming from the house to commence. After the sprinklers came on and the screaming started she'd been in the corner with her best friends Neal and August laughing it up when she'd caught sight of the girl being ushered out by her Mother.

She'd been dripping wet. She'd made brief eye contact with Emma. Emma had literally choked on the laugh that had gotten stuck in her throat as she found herself drowning in pools of warm chocolate. She coughed to clear her throat and when she straightened up and looked in the direction she'd seen her last, the girl was already gone.

Emma had spent the next few weeks in a fog. Partly because her Mother had grounded her for over a month for that one. But also because of the weird feelings that had flooded her from that brief second of eye contact.

She was sure she wasn't gay. So she had no idea what the hell was wrong with her. Why did her belly flutter and heat began to gather in her nether region when she thought of the headmistresses' daughter?

After her grounding she'd gone out of her way to make sure that their paths didn't cross. Not that it was really too hard to do. Regina was a nerd. And she was the self-appointed badass and rebel of the school.

Emma cleared her throat loudly. "I said I don't really want to be here but my Mom is making me. So we should just get this over with as painlessly and quick as possible."

Regina studied the girl for a second before she offered her a response. Her eyes were darting all around. Though she was trying really hard for an air of nonchalance she could clearly see right through it.

There wasn't much she knew about the girl at all. Of course she knew all of the rumors that were spread about her. But her parents had always taught her to never judge a book by its cover. So she pushed aside any and all doubts.

She smiled at the girl and as both her eyebrows rose. "Good. Shall we began?"


	3. This is my Confession

**CHAPTER 2**

Regina waited anxiously outside the library. Her Mother had tracked her down to let her know that she was going to have to work late and Regina's help was needed at home. She was going to need to get home, stay with her father, and get dinner started until she got home.

It had been three weeks since Regina had taken Emma on as a client. And they weren't as horrible as she had imagined they would be. They had a good working relationship and had taken to doing their homework together in the library. Regina would check over Emma's assignments and syllabus and make sure she was up to date and understood the material. And she got paid well for it. Which helped her college and future car funds tremendously.

Regina found very quickly that Emma's problem wasn't retention or application of information. She was actually extremely intelligent. But it seemed she had the same problem as all young people did. She'd rather waste her time trying to find ways to identify herself by focusing on the socialization aspect of growth as opposed to bettering herself through education and knowledge. And the fact that she felt that since her family owned the school she attended being the bane of her existence didn't help either.

She spotted the familiar wild blonde hair hurrying towards her. Regina had let Emma know at their first meeting that she didn't appreciate tardiness. Although she cut it close, Emma had so far been respectful of the rules that Regina had set down for her.

"Emma," she called out and waved her hand in the air to get her attention.

Emma's face scrunched as she was clearly confused. They always met inside at the last table in the back of the room, "why are you out here?"

"My Mother has to work late. We're not going to be able to work here today," Regina informed her. Emma's face downturned a little. She enjoyed their study sessions together. Though her attendance in her other classes still suffered, she made it a priority to always show up for tutoring.

Regina frowned back at her confused, "I figured we'd work from my house instead. If you don't mind the interruptions."

Emma had been trying to shake off her disappointment and hoping that it wasn't showing. So far she'd managed to keep her cool around Regina though she was finding it harder and harder. She'd realized that she had a crush on her after their first study session together. The realization had confused her since she'd never had feelings for a girl before. Still the attraction was stronger than her confusion and she'd eventually accepted that it was what it was.

She was both intrigued and wary of the flutters that made her body tingle in a warm delicious way when they were together. She found herself more and more just wanting to dive into those large chocolatey brown hypnotic eyes. And Regina's husky voice sounded like a siren's song that cried out just for her in her ears and sent shivers down her spine.

But they both ran in two different circles. Emma hung with the kids who wanted to cause as much mayhem and trouble and hopefully get kicked out and sent home. Regina spent her time with books and other bookworms. Since they didn't spend any time together outside of the hours of tutoring 3 times a week they had come to mean a lot to Emma. And with today being Friday, she wouldn't see her again until next week.

She was momentarily thrown off by the butterflies that were floating around her belly at their proximity to one another before she was able to process what she was saying. She wasn't being dumped or rejected, just reassigned. She brightened up as she answered, "Sure. That sounds awesome."

Regina gave her a weird look, "well – it's not ideal. But it will do for now. How about you change your clothes and meet me at my house in about 30 minutes?"

Emma looked down at their identical school uniforms of a pleated skirt, loafers, and button down shirts with matching school sweater. It was mandatory wear for all students during school hours. But outside school hours, they were allowed to wear whatever they liked, "yeah – sure," she nodded.

Regina smiled, "Great. I'm sure you don't need directions," she asked with one eyebrow raised while fixing Emma with a penetrating stare daring her to answer otherwise.

The headmistress and her family lived on the outskirts of the school. Everyone knew the house. It was the usual target for toilet papering or else throwing eggs at to while away the boredom. It was usually just a sign of teenage rebellion to authority and a rite of passage for every student. Still, Emma was a little uneasy as she answered her, "No. No need at all. I know it well," she gave Regina one of her most innocent smiles.

Regina wasn't fooled in the least. She knew that Emma was a regular at almost all of the eggings and teepeeing. If not the ringleader herself. She knew it wasn't worth her time or the stress to quibble, "alright. I'll see you in 30." She turned and headed in the direction of home.

The corners of Emma's lips turned down as she watched her leave. "Oops," she said as she chuckled to herself before turning in the opposite direction and heading to the dorms.

The dorms were made up college campus style. There was a room with two beds per side, a shared bathroom in between, and 2 more beds on the other side along with a dresser and desk for each student. But Emma was a White. So she had been allowed to stay in the Senior dorms.

The Senior dorms were made up of small lofts. Each loft had 2 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, a full kitchen, dining, and living room. Emma's loft was especially sweet. It was a split level. Her room was up a flight of stairs. It had its own full bathroom, tv, a study area, large comfy King sized bed, and a desk with built in shelves for storage and books, and a large closet, vanity, and dresser. She had decorated the room in mostly red, white, and black. It was her own private sanctuary from the insanity of living in a school.

She had been given the opportunity to keep the loft to herself but she realized she was a people person and really didn't want to be separated from everyone else. So the faculty had allowed her to choose her own roommate. She'd settled on one of her friends, Mulan. Their personalities complimented one another well. Though she was mostly quiet, polite, and a bookworm she was also extremely physically active. They were both friendly rivals on all of the same sports teams. And when they were especially bored the two would push back their furniture and spar with one another.

Emma had no complaints with the girl. And living together had only made them closer. She gave Emma her space and Emma gave her hers. The living arrangement had worked out for them both so far.

When Emma entered the loft, Mulan was in the kitchen making herself a sandwich. Emma gave her a quick wave and a big grin, "I have to change and get ready for tutoring."

Mulan said nothing as she watched her friend sprint up the stairs to her rooms. But once she was gone from her sight the corners of her mouth began to pull up. She had known Emma for a good 5 years now. Never had she ever seen her excited to study. Though Emma hadn't said a word Mulan could clearly read between the lines. Obviously it wasn't the studying but who she was studying with that put a smile on her friends face and a bounce in her step.

Emma breezed back through quickly. She'd changed into a red tank top and a pair of tight skinny jeans with a pair of knee high boots. She had placed her books in a knapsack that hung over one shoulder. Mulan even detected slight traces of makeup.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Mulan called out before the door closed behind her.

Emma turned and looked at the now closed door with her eyes narrowed. Then she shrugged it off and began walking toward the headmistress's house at a brisk pace.

Her Mother had gotten her a new car for her 16th birthday. But Emma drove it as little as possible. The town really wasn't very far away and she enjoyed the exercise. She also hated the attention the car brought to her. It was a candy apple red Mercedes convertible. Though in an elite boarding school it was by far not the most outrageous car there; that didn't mean that Emma was comfortable with the statement it made. She was a casual person. She personally would've preferred a simple SUV. There was something about the car that screamed how little her Mother knew her and how their family seemed to stand for nothing but pretension that made her avoid it at all times.

Emma had been shipped to boarding school at the age of 5. She remembered spending her first few weeks crying her eyes out. Over time she'd adjusted and even forgot what living at home was even like. When she did go home for holidays her Mother never greeted her with a 'welcome home'. Instead she'd say, "Emma. I'm glad you could visit," before giving her air kisses on both cheeks. It was what she hated most about it and the reason Emma avoided that at all costs too unless she absolutely had to. It saddened and sickened her that the only times her Mother forced her to come home were when she needed to use her as a prop in whatever latest business venture she was in the middle of.

As she neared the house, she realized this was the first time she'd seen it in the light of day. Sure, she was usually one of the ringleaders who riled up the other students for teepeeing and egging it. But those were stupid drunken pranks by bored kids who were sticking it to authority.

She'd never actually seen the house in the light of day. It was a nice looking 2 story craftsman home. It was a dark green and there were beautiful lush plants and trees out front. It looked precisely like the type of place people who had one would call home. It had never actually occurred to her until she got closer that a family lived there as opposed to the people who were keeping them trapped in school 24/7.

She walked up onto the large porch and rang the doorbell. She stood waiting nervously hoping that Regina would answer and not one of her parents.

"Emma," Regina opened the door with a grin. Emma'd noticed that Regina had also used the time to change into a pair of tight fitting jeans, boots, and a sweater. "Come in."

Emma made her way inside and looked around. They were standing in the foyer. In front of them was a flight of stairs. To the left of them held a living room that looked like a warm and cozy place that people gathered after dinner for board games and television. And on their right was the dining room. There was a long beautiful cherry wood table and a tall china cabinet that held some of her family's old china.

"We're in here," Regina led her through the dining room and into a large kitchen/family room. "Papi," she addressed the man who was sitting in a wheelchair next to the large picture windows with a book. "This is my student Emma White. We're going to study here after dinner."

Emma's eyes widened as she took in the man sitting in the chair. He looked old and weary. The last time she'd met him he'd been a big burly man with round cheeks and sparkling eyes. Now his eyes were dim, he'd dropped at least 60 pounds, he had what looked like an IV running out of his arm, and an oxygen tube that was hooked behind both ears. The tank was attached to his chair. He seemed to have become an old man in just a few short months. She held out her hand to him, "Hi Mr. Mills. We've met a couple of times before."

"I remember," he said as he smiled up at her. "I also remember something about the house flooding."

"Papi, she's not like that anymore. She's actually been doing a lot better lately," Regina bragged to her Father. She turned to Emma, "You can put your things down in my room. It's the room at the top of the stairs to the right. I'm just working on dinner right now. Once Mother gets home we'll eat. Then we'll study," Regina turned to the long table in the middle of the kitchen. She picked up a previously discarded knife and began to chop up vegetables.

Emma nodded at her Father before she made her way up the stairs. She knew Regina's room before even opening the door. It smelled just like her. A mixture of fresh flowers and some type of lily scented perfume. Emma could breathe that smell in all day.

Regina's room was dominated with a huge 4 poster white bed with matching dressers and nightstands. Her comforter set was dark purple, black and silver as were the curtains hanging from an ornate curtain rod. Emma hung her book bag on the back of the chair at her desk. She wanted to be nosy and snoop around but figured there'd be time for that later. She turned and made her way back downstairs.

"That smells really great," she said as she came back into the kitchen. Her mouth was already beginning to water. "I could've waited until later to come over though. After you were done with dinner and all."

Regina frowned as she stirred something at the stove, "Did you eat already? I'm sorry I just assumed since it was early that we could have dinner and then get down to work."

"No, no," Emma shook her head rapidly. "I was just saying – I didn't want to intrude on your family dinner and all," she looked away willing her heated cheeks to cool from her obvious embarrassment.

"It's just dinner. We're having vaca frita con arroz con cilantro y limon con tostones ajo," Regina shrugged.

"No one's ever invited me over to dinner at their house before," Emma awkwardly rolled her shoulders.

Regina's jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding."

Emma frowned and suddenly began to feel self-conscious. She licked her lips nervously and plunged her hands in her back pockets while rocking on her heels.

"Well, there's a first time for everything. We're thrilled that you could join us tonight Emma," the old man beamed up at her. Emma returned his open welcoming smile with one of her own.

"Do you cook Emma?" Regina knew that Emma lived in the Senior dorms despite having two years of school left. Zelena had tried to move into them during her senior year but their Mother had refused. She liked having her children around her where she could keep an eye on them.

"I can boil water and make toast," Emma grinned at her. "But that's about it. I do one mean helluva ordering out though."

Regina gave her a half smirk, "well in this house, everyone helps. So tonight you're going to make your first real dish. Tostones con ajo. Wash your hands and then come over here," she beckoned her over with her free hand. "I'll show you what to do."

Emma did as directed before joining Regina at the long table that dominated the middle of the room. It seemed to double as a kitchen island and dining table as well.

"This," Regina held up the cutting board shaped wooden instrument, "is a tostonera. And these are plantains. You're going to peel them and cut them into small disks like this,' she demonstrated for her quickly. "Then you drop them into the hot oil carefully. After they turn brown you take them out. And that's when the fun begins," she waggled her eyebrows at her. "You put them in the tostonera and smash them like this," she demonstrated again how it worked. "Then you put them back in the oil for another minute or 2. Afterward you put them on the plate here and try and get as much of the oil off of them as possible. Then you add a little salt and voila. Tostones. I've already made the salsa de ajo. Now, it's your turn."

Regina stood back and watched as Emma began the task she'd given her. When she'd successfully put the first batch into the hot oil she nodded at her. "That's it. You're a fast learner," she praised her student. She leaned past her and hit a knob on the sound system. The kitchen began wafting with some fast beat Spanish songs.

Emma rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the smile from splitting her face in two. She buried her face in her hair to hide her reddened cheeks.

In the midst of the two girls going back to cooking and her Father going back to reading a book Regina's Mother, Cora, joined the family. She gave her husband and daughter quick kisses on their cheeks and gave Emma a friendly but wary hello.

Then she excused herself as she went upstairs to change. By the time she was back in more casual wear, dinner had been plated and everyone was taking seats at the dining room table. Regina had also turned down the music so that it could still be heard yet not drown any of them out.

Cora sat across from Emma and Regina. Henry used his joystick to wheel his electric wheelchair to the spot at the head of the table where the captain's chair had been pulled out for him. The dishes were passed around and everyone began to eat.

"So Emma, how's working with the slave driver going?" Cora asked as she threw a teasing smile over to her daughter. "Regina's the perfectionist in the family. She refuses to give in until things are perfect."

"I wonder where I get it from," Regina returned her Mother's teasing glare. The two smiled lovingly at one another.

"It's great," Emma nodded. "She's a good teacher. She's really helped me a lot."

"It's not all me," Regina admitted. "Emma's really smart. She just lacks focus."

Emma nudged her with her elbow, "that's why you get paid the big bucks to see that I maintain." Regina gave her a devilish smirk in return.

The rest of the meal passed with the usual uneventful dinnertime conversation. Emma for the most part just ate silently unless she was specifically asked something. It was enough for her to just be invited to someone else's table. Let alone being encouraged to take part in the familiar bantering that the family seemed to enjoy. And the food was some of the best she'd ever tasted.

After dinner, Regina and Emma quickly cleared up the kitchen and dining room. Her parents retired to the living room where they could hear the tv blasting away in between whispered conversation. Then Regina pulled Emma upstairs to her bedroom.

Emma walked over to her knapsack and began to go through it. "what do you want to work on first?" she asked as she sorted through her papers. When she received nothing but silence, she quirked her eyebrow as she looked over at Regina.

Regina was sitting on her bed staring pensively at some unseen spot past Emma. "Hmm?" she shook herself from her stupor. She had been thinking about her father and it had begun to depress her, "Sorry I got lost there for a minute. What are you doing tomorrow?"

Emma's face became pensive as she ran through her mental rolodex. "Hmm, lemme check my schedule," she poked her head in her bag and then came out with a shrug and a cheeky smile. "Looks like a whole lotta nothing since tomorrow is Saturday and all."

Regina's eyebrows raised to her hairline as she scrunched her forehead, "do you mind if we take the night off and wait until tomorrow to worry about homework?"

Emma grinned and threw her bag aside. "You don't have to ask me twice. Actually you never have to ask me that question. The answer is always hells yeah! What did you have planned instead?"

Regina chuckled and rolled her eyes. She jumped off her bed excitedly, "come on."

Emma followed Regina's lead down the hallway. They entered another bedroom this time decorated in greens and blues. She looked around her at the much lived in space curiously, "this must be your sister's room?" she posed it as a statement and a question.

Regina shrugged as she continued to make her way toward the window. She opened it up and turned to Emma with the cutest grin on her face, "come on."

Emma stood momentarily gaping as she watched the woman she associated with perfection at all time climb on the windowsill, swoop through the window and climb out of it. She'd had no idea that Regina had a wildcat inside of her. She was always so put together. But she wasn't going to argue about it. She climbed onto the windowsill and followed her outside.

They ended up sitting on the roof just outside the window. Regina had climbed over to give her plenty of space. She seemed to be perfectly comfortable up here. She laid out against the roof with her arms stretched out behind her head and her legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. She stared pensively up at the starlit sky.

Emma climbed out behind her and took a seat beside her. She sat with her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She looked around her, "this is nice," she said as she took in the view.

It was a warm August night. The kind where the weather was only just beginning to give a hint that it was about to turn colder. A fresh breeze blew over them. It was cool but not unbearable. Just nice enough to beat back the heat left over from long summer days. It blew in the scent of the flowers that were littered in the Mills' garden oasis.

They were high enough that they could see above the treetops. In the distance Emma could make out the school, stables, and dorms. But her attention was mostly captured by the way the stars seemed to stand out so vividly against the dark sky. She kept alternating staring at them and at Regina.

Regina eventually broke the silence. She shifted catching Emma's attention. "My sister and I have been coming up here since we were kids. It's always been a nice place for us to reflect."

Emma didn't really know the redhead well. She knew that she had graduated early as valedictorian and apparently Regina was set to do the same. She remembered her being well liked. She'd even been crowned Homecoming Queen. Aside from that, like Regina, they ran in different circles. She shrugged, "at least you have a sibling. I have no one really. Except maybe my Grandfather."

Regina looked at her puzzled, "What are you talking about? Your Mom is my Mom's boss."

Emma took a deep breath while she gathered her thoughts. She'd never discussed her family with anyone else. The people she hung out with were only interested in her being Emma the fun girl. They didn't care about her family legacy or whatever. There were always people who tried to befriend her on those terms but Emma was quick to set them straight. "I don't really know my Mom well," she admitted quietly.

Regina played the words back in her head, "huh?"

Emma swallowed thickly. She had no idea why she was admitting these things to someone she didn't know all that well. She just felt like Regina got her in a way that no one else ever had. A way that no one else had ever cared to.

This was one of her deepest buried secrets. She had never even really admitted it to herself before. But this had been her first time watching how a real family interacted. It had confused and saddened her. It brought up things inside of her that she had been trying to stuff down for years, "I've been in boarding school since I was 5," she spoke quietly. As if she was afraid her words would carry on the wind. "I have few memories of being at home. And most of them were with either my Grandfather, who calls me his little princess, or our housekeeper, Tiana. I know more about her than I do my Mother," Emma confessed embarrassingly. She ran her hand over her face as she tried to hold her tears at bay.

Regina saw and heard the pain behind the words. She sat up and reached out to Emma. She ran her hand up and down her back trying to impart as much comfort into the touch as she could.

Emma stayed ramrod straight. She wasn't looking for pity. And these weren't the kind of touches she craved from the brunette. She shifted away until Regina's hand fell back to the tiled roof. She gave her a watery smile, "I know. My family's just really messed up."

"Everyone's family is messed up. I'm starting to think there is no such thing as a functional family." At Emma's quizzical expression she confessed her own secret, "You saw my Dad right?" When Emma nodded she moistened her lips with her tongue and continued her own dirty secret. "He's sick. And everyone can see it. He's lost like 50 pounds in the past 6 months. He's had 3 operations and now he can't even get out of that chair without help. We have to have a nurse come in and watch over him during the day. And still my parents keep lying to us. They keep telling us he's fine and that he just really needs rest. I don't even know what's wrong with him."

Regina turned to stare out at the stars again. "I'm so scared that he doesn't have much longer," her voice broke on the words. Tears were glistening in her eyes but they didn't fall. Emma knew that like her, she was willing them to stay away. "And still they lie to our faces," she said angrily as she wiped a hand over her moist eyes. She turned to Emma, "how messed up is that?"

She thought back to what she'd seen over dinner. They were clearly a family who all loved one another. But she understood exactly what Regina was saying. "Still, I win crappiest family ever," she tried to joke weakly.

Regina rolled her eyes. Then she turned to Emma with the most beautiful sad smile on her face.

Emma didn't really think beforehand. She just reacted. She leaned over and pressed her lips to Regina's. Her hand found her shoulder and slid down her arm as she heard Regina's cry of surprise against her lips.

Horrified at herself, Emma pulled away. "I – I'm so sorry," She wiped her sweaty hands on her jeans as her breathing sped up. "I – I'll go," she turned toward the window.

Regina sat running her tongue over her lips. She was just barely processing what had just happened when she saw Emma turning to leave. Her hand flew out and she wrapped it around Emma's wrist. Emma turned back to her clearly mortified. Her face was red as a tomato, "No. I don't want you to go."

"O-kay," Emma stammered still uneasily. She sat back down stiffly cursing herself on the inside. She kept her face averted. What in the hell had she just done? Regina would hate her for sure now.

"I've never been kissed before," Regina admitted.

Emma's head whipped toward her at this, "but you're so beautiful!" There was no way that someone who looked like her didn't have tons of people fawning after her.

Regina lifted a shoulder and rolled it, "I had a late puberty. Last year I had the body of an 8 year old. And - ," she thought the statement through. "I guess I've just never thought about much outside of my books." She looked over at the blonde who was still obviously uncomfortable. She reached up and traced a hand over the pattern that Emma's lips pressed against hers had made, "but I liked it."

Emma gave her a shy smile. She looked at her through her lashes not sure she was really hearing what she'd heard, "really?"

Regina nodded emphatically, "really." She waited a pause before adding, "can we do it again?"

Emma's face split in two, "just for the record, you never have to ask me that ever again," she said before she leaned into her again. Regina turned from her perch and leaned in further towards her. The two met in the middle.

Emma didn't want to scare her. She was no virgin. But Regina had just confirmed that obviously she was. She decided to keep it sweet and simple. She pressed her lips to hers and just reveled in the feel of intimacy they were creating but this time she kept her hands to herself. She was kissing Regina freaking Mills! For her, that was enough.

When they broke apart, it was Regina who went in for more. And it was Regina who reached up and wrapped her arms around her shoulders trying to fit the two of them in as close as possible.

They ended up lying back against the roof. After things started to become heated Emma pulled back. "Whew," she pulled at the collar of her shirt. She sat up and rolled away from Regina. Then she held out a hand to help her up as well. "I think maybe I should go home," she said. She was feeling intoxicated just from her makeout session. She still wasn't completely sure of her feelings but she'd been thrilled to find out that she wasn't the only one who was having that problem.

Regina looked disappointed but nodded. She followed Emma back through the window. "You can leave your books here. We can get to work tomorrow on homework."

Emma nodded and began making her way through the house, down the stairs, and to the front door. When Regina's parents heads swiveled her way from the living room she began to feel self-conscious. She hoped she wasn't giving away what they'd been doing, "Thanks for dinner," she called out to them.

'It was nice having you," Mr. Mills answered. "I hope we see you again soon."

Emma smiled and waved at them both. She pulled the door open and walked out.

Regina followed her out and pulled the door to behind her. The two stood awkwardly bouncing shy glances at and then away from one another. Again Regina stepped forward. She looked behind her quickly to make sure they wouldn't be interrupted then moved in closer to Emma. She stood on her tiptoes and put her hands on her shoulders before pressing her lips to hers once again. She sucked Emma's bottom lip between her teeth and moaned softly against her.

Emma's heart rate sped up once again. She pulled back faster than she wanted to but knew she had to before this got really embarrassing. "You're going to be the death of me woman," she chastised in between breaths.

Regina chuckled before stepping away, "I'll see you tomorrow Emma. Around 11:30? We can have lunch first and then get started on studying."

Emma narrowed her eyes at her, "slave driver," she teased. She was glad to hear Regina's rich voice vibrating through her chest in a chuckle once again. She waved and then turned and began to walk back toward the school.

When she got to the end of the walk she turned once again. The two shared another wave before Emma turned forward again. She bounced back to her loft on cloud 9.


	4. Out of the Closet with a Huge Sweet Boom

**CHAPTER 3**

 **I think I'm gay.**

She stared down at the words still not sure of how she felt about them. Then she hit send.

A few seconds later, instead of a text back, her phone began to ring. Her sister had decided to facetime her instead.

Regina stared at it in horror. She didn't want to answer it but knew she'd receive no mercy until she did. She sat up cross legged on her bed. She'd been lying there thinking about all that had transpired between her and Emma that night. She took a deep breath. Then she answered it.

"What in the hell was that about?" her sister yelled. She was clearly in bed also. She was lying back against her pillows and she had on a tank top which was no doubt paired with some boxer shorts.

"Hi Zelly," she answered as casually as she could.

"Don't 'hi Zelly' me. You can't say something like that and then act like nothing happened! What in the hell is going on over there?" Zelena punched her pillow to make it more comfortable before lying back against them again.

Regina took a deep breath before plunging in. She put the phone beside her as she turned onto her side. She propped her head up with her hand as she stared down at the phone, "I kissed a girl."

Zelena became silent on her end of the line. When it became obvious her little sister wasn't going to give her anything more she growled, "and?"

"And?" Regina asked vying for time. She barely understood it. She wasn't sure how to explain it.

"Well - ?" Zelena waited. "How does this mean you're gay?"

Regina was confused, "well if you're kissing girls then that means you're gay," she pointed out as if it was perfectly clear.

Zelena chuckled at her sister's naivete, "almost every girl in college has kissed another girl. And most of them aren't gay. Sometimes girls just kiss girls," she said nonchalantly.

"Have you kissed a girl before?" Regina's curiosity was peaked.

"Of course. It's really no big deal. Everyone should always experiment."

Regina's forehead scrunched, "then what's the difference between kissing just for kissing's sake and being gay?"

"All girls kiss one another. Sometimes they just do it for the attention for guys," Zelena shrugged. "But if you're gay then you want to do more than just kiss."

Regina chewed on her bottom lip as she thought this over. She had loved it when she wrapped her arms around Emma. And kissing her had led to inhaling huge whiffs of her citrusy scent that did things to her nether regions, "I think – I might want to do more than just kiss her."

"Wahoo!" Zelena cheered. Regina watched her fist pump the air. "My little sister's popping the cork out of her ass."

"Language," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"It's about damned time!" Zelena continued. "I was worried you'd end up an old lady living with Mother and Papi and a bunch of cats forever."

Regina looked at the end of her bed toward her little babies, "One of these cats are yours you know."

Zelena chuckled and nodded, "I know." She pulled the corners of her mouth down, "I miss my baby girl. Show her to me."

Regina angled her phone so that her sister could see Graciela who was a 4 year old muted calico with green eyes and SamiKenz who was a 5 year old blonde and white cat with golden eyes. Both were passed out asleep from their hard day of doing nothing but being petted, fed and loved on. She turned up her nose when her sister began making kissing noises at them and talking to them like babies. Thankfully both cats were used to sleeping through obnoxiousness. Aside from squinting their eyes open so that they could see where the noise was coming from they both flat out ignored her.

Zelena had begged her parents for SamiKenz in the summer. And that Christmas Graciela had become the best Christmas gift Regina had ever received. With her sister off at college she was now their primary everything.

"So back to the gay stuff," she redirected her sister. She chewed on her bottom lip nervously, "I don't know about forever. But I do know that I really liked kissing her."

"Who is this her anyway?" Zelena sat up and had to prop her phone up on the pillows. She began to wind her hair into a loose French braid.

Regina shut her eyes tight before telling her sister, "Emma White."

Her sister dropped the hair she was threading and sat gaping at her little sister, "You're hitting it up with Mother's boss's daughter? Does she know this?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "She knows I'm tutoring her. She just kissed me for the first time tonight." Her face became wistful as she thought about it more, "And then we kissed some more. And then she went home."

Zelena shook her head slowly, "I don't know about this Gigi. If this goes wrong then it could backfire badly."

"Go badly? We're just doing what everyone else does," Regina scoffed. "and anyway she's the one who kissed me!"

Zelena sighed, "I can't tell you what to do. You're just going to have to do whatever works for you. But I am your big sister. And it's my job to look out for you. If you're a big ol' gaywad then fine – I'll go with you to the pride parades and I'm sure the 'rents will put a huge rainbow flag on the top of the roof. But I am saying be careful. This is a complicated situation."

"What could be complicated about us liking each other?" When her sister stayed silent and did nothing but look in the opposite direction she prompted, "Zelly?"

Zelena shook her head and let out a big breath, "has Mother spoken to you about paying for college and Papi yet?"

Regina scowled. She had no idea how they'd segued here, "No. I'm not going to graduate for at least 2 more years. And she and Papi are still using that same old line about him being really tired and needing rest."

Zelena moistened her lips and nodded her head. She gave her sister a smile, "I'm going to need to go. Just remember I love you. And be careful with that girl."

Regina's scowl deepened into a frown, "Yeah. Okay. I love you too. And you be careful."

They both made kissing faces and noises into the phone before disconnecting.

Regina stayed up for a short while longer as the conversation played over in her head. She had no idea what difference who the girl was she was with. Obviously she was now gay. Which meant she'd have to tell her parents soon. But they had always been open-minded and just wanted what was best for their girls. She didn't foresee any problems on that end.

The whole Emma White part was weird. It's not like her Mother could get fired just if she and Emma had a falling out could she? She chewed on her bottom lip as she thought that one over.

Maybe she and Emma should just keep things quiet for a while. Until they both had a clear idea of what it was exactly that was going on between them.

Regina scooted lower in her bed as she made herself comfortable. Her last thoughts were of the sweet taste of Emma on her lips. And how she definitely wanted more.

RQ+ES

Emma walked quickly down the road that led to the Mills' house still on her high. She had made out with Regina Mills last night. And she definitely wanted more.

She just knew this was right. Her hands had slipped underneath the blankets as she wondered what it would be like to feel more of Regina's softness pressed against her.

After she'd satisfied herself, she fell into an easy sleep. She had fallen asleep still remembering the warmth of their lips fused together. It wasn't until the next day that the doubts began to invade her mind.

What if Regina figured out she wasn't good enough for her? I mean what in the hell did she have to offer someone who seemed to have her entire life already planned out anyway? The only thing she had going for her was that she had a trust fund waiting for her once she turned 18. And her Mother and Grandfather just took it for granted that she'd go into the family business with them.

She was lost deep in thought as she made it to the Mills' house. She shifted around nervously as she rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. When Regina opened the door her face brightened but she tried to tamp down her hope in case what had happened last night was a fluke.

Regina let her in with a smile. Then they walked into the kitchen again where this time Cora was at the stove. Her Father was at the table chopping vegetables in his chair.

"We're going up to my room," Regina informed them after Emma had said her hellos. "Just call us when lunch is ready," she called over her shoulder as she made her way upstairs.

Once the door to the room had closed, Regina backed Emma up against it. She threw her arms around her neck and gave her a long, deep kiss. They both smiled into the kiss as they enjoyed the way it felt to be in one another's arms.

When they pulled back for air Regina grinned at Emma, "Hey."

"Hey yourself. If you're not careful I could get used to being greeted like this everyday," Emma grinned at her. She reached out for her to pull her even closer but Regina just moved to sit on the side of her bed.

Emma dropped down beside her as she took in the mix of emotions that were flooding across her face, "what's going on?"

Regina gave her a small sad smile. She turned until she was facing Emma head on. Emma did the same, "I told you last night that this isn't something that I do. It means a lot to me."

Emma reached out and grabbed her hand, "it means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me."

Regina's tongue darted out as she moistened her lips. She heaved a huge sigh of relief before grinning at Emma, "good. I want us to be on the same page."

Emma leaned in and stole a kiss even though it was obvious that the conversation wasn't finished yet. Regina obliged for a few minutes before pushing her away with a firm hand on her shoulder.

"And what does being on the same page look like to you?"

Emma's brow furrowed before she shrugged, "are you asking me if we're dating?"

"Well – yeah. Among other things. There's also needing to tell our parents."

Emma's eyes bulged at that. It's not that she was ashamed of what they had or anything. It's just – she already felt like she wasn't good enough for her Mother now. Anytime she moved into a conversation that involved emotion with her Mother, she shoved her away. The last time she'd become emotional around her Emma had been told a few days later that she was going to boarding school. And 12 years later, she still couldn't even answer the question of what her Mother's favorite color was.

"I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to call you my girlfriend if that's what you mean. I like you a lot. And I don't care who knows about it. Except - ," her voice trailed off.

"Except what?" Regina prompted needing to know what all she was getting herself into.

Emma shook her head, "You don't understand. Your family is a family. You live together. You know what one another likes and needs and wants. When I try to talk to my Mother she usually makes plans for me that involve me being away from her. She tries her best to send me as far away from her as she can," her voice broke as she got the last sentence out. Emma looked at Regina with tears glinting in her eyes, "I don't even think she likes me. Let alone loves me."

The last time she'd tried talking to her Mother about something serious was when she'd gotten her period years before. Girls were supposed to do that with their Mothers right? She had visions of female bonding and maybe her Mother sharing a milkshake with her but that hadn't happened. Snow had just snorted and told her not wear white during that time of the month. Then she'd told her she was busy and if there was anything actually important she needed to talk about she could go to their housekeeper Tiana. It had left a sour taste in Emma's mouth.

Regina's heart broke at the pain she saw on Emma's face. She reached out and pulled her into her arms, "well my family's not like that. I promise you, you can always be who you are here. What I feel for you will never get lost," she pressed kisses against Emma's face as she used her thumbs to dry the tears that had fallen from her eyes.

Just then – the door opened and her Mother walked in. Cora stood staring at them aghast. "what is going on in here?!"

They pulled away from one another and Emma surreptitiously used her sleeve to dry her face.

Regina looked back and forth between her Mother and – well – her girlfriend. She took Emma's hand in hers before looking at her Mother challengingly, "we were talking. And kissing," she added just to make things perfectly clear to her Mother. She exchanged a smile with Emma who looked at her gratefully before both returned their attention to Cora.

Emma stood, "Mrs Mills I really like your daughter."

Cora's face was pinched, "If you really liked her then you should respect her. And our household," Cora snapped at her. When both girls' faces reddened and their heads bowed, she softened her tone, "I didn't mean to snap. But you should have let us know that this was going on. I would never have allowed you two upstairs alone behind closed doors."

Regina stood and faced her Mother, "It just happened last night. We were just talking about it and trying to figure things out."

"Well, you'll be doing your figuring things out downstairs from now on. You are not to be alone above the stairs ever! Is that clear?"

"Yes Mother," and "Yes Mrs. Mills," was chorused by both girls.

"Now go and get yourselves cleaned up. Then come downstairs. Lunch is ready," Cora left the room with the door purposefully wide open.

They followed her down after stopping in the bathroom where they washed up. When they got downstairs Cora and Henry were already waiting. Emma began to get nervous. Clearly Cora had told him what had just happened. But he just smiled at her warm and friendly as always. Her heart began to beat slower and she wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans as she returned the smile. She and Regina each took the same places they had last night.

"I've informed your Father of you two - ," Cora frowned slightly as she searched for the right word. "Dating. We've agreed that from now on if you're in your room then the door will stay open. And you will be checked on from time to time."

"Of course. We have nothing to hide. Or be ashamed of," she stared pointedly at her Mother to make sure that this point was understood.

"Good then," Henry slapped his hands together. "Vamos comer. I'm sure you two girls have worked up an appetite," he winked at them. "Your Mother and I were young once too you know," he smiled at Cora before leaning over and planting a kiss on her lips. She pushed him away playfully but still the corners of her lips tilted upward.

Regina groaned and scrunched up her nose, "Blech. Don't be gross Papi." She reached across and grabbed the nearest dish and began loading up her plate before handing it across to Emma.

Emma let out the breath she'd been holding as she'd waited for the other shoe to drop. She thought for sure she and Regina were done for. But the family just returned to their usual light chatter and teasing that she had witnessed last night.

Regina must've heard her. Because she reached under the table and grabbed her hand. She gave it a squeeze as she leaned close to her and whispered, "See? We can do this."

Emma nodded before her face split into a grin. She looked around at the smiling faces. Once again this overwhelming feeling of being in a home with a family caused a mix of emotions to swell inside of her. But when she looked into those sweetly smiling chocolate orbs, all she saw was the two of them. Together. Forever.


	5. Breakups and Makeups

**CHAPTER 5**

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Regina raised her eyebrows at her girlfriend. School for her had always been a safe haven. She loved every minute of it. Now the building looming above them seemed large and foreboding.

Emma smirked while nodding her head. Then she reached out and grabbed ahold of Regina's hand. She laced their fingers together before she brought the hand up to her lips and gave it a kiss. This earned her a smile and a blush. Then the two girls turned and walked into the school together as they made their way to their lockers. Their intimate body language and hand holding made it clear to any onlookers that both girls were now taken.

The girls ignored the stares and whispers as they walked down the hall. When Regina looked at Emma a little uncertainly, she would just give her hand a little squeeze and shoot her a dazzling smile. It helped to quell Regina's anxiety. And it felt almost as good as her kisses did.

Regina had never been into PDA. She'd never even had a real date before. With her late puberty, it had only been recently that she'd been on the receiving end of male attention. And now this.

Though the school was all inclusive with a no tolerance for any type of discrimination there were still some things that were understood to be off-limits to the student body. You didn't date the Headmistresses' daughter and you didn't date the owner of the school's daughter. And here the two of them were breaking both unspoken rules at once.

Because of who their parents were, both girls were considered no-no's on the single yet ready to mingle list. They were always under scrutiny by the other students. This had never bothered them before. But now that their relationship was becoming more heated, both girls had decided to come out with a bang.

For Emma it was easy. Emma, always the rebel, made it clear she could care less about anyone's opinion of anything. She was just too cool for school and was biding her time until she could yell sayonara sucker on her way out the door with her diploma in hand. She went out of her way to ensure that everyone knew that she didn't care about any rules in the school spoken or otherwise. She spent more time in the Headmistresses' offices than anyone in the combined history of the school and was damned proud of it too!

For Regina, it was different. She had big plans for her life. And long-term goals that she had every intention of completing. Regina was seen as too much of a goody two-shoes. It was just automatically understood that she was a shoe-in for her class valedictorian. Before Emma came into her life she hadn't even considered having a social life. At least not until college anyway. But so much had changed in the past few months.

They had officially been dating for close to 3 months. Though their friends were aware of the situation, the school was not.

They continued to have tutoring sessions at Regina's house. But now after their work was done, Emma would stay and hang out with the family until her parents excused themselves since Cora had to help Henry into bed. The girls used the time before she returned to bid Emma good night as their 'dating' time.

But Emma wanted more. She wanted the world to know that she had fallen in love with an angel. So she had asked Regina to the upcoming Halloween dance.

Regina had been thrilled to be asked but then the worry set in. What would people say about the two of them together? Emma had at first waved her concerns away. She could care less. Unless her Mother got wind of the situation :S. That part made her a little uneasy. But her budding love for Regina had won out over any fears of rejection from her Mother. She had already decided that on her next visit home that she'd tell her Mum that she was gay. And coming out to the school today was their way of testing the waters before it all hit the fans.

They managed to get through picking their books up at their lockers and Emma escorting Regina to class. She made a big show out of kissing her in front of her classroom before she hurried off to her own.

Regina walked into the room and took her usual seat beside her best friend Kathryn.

Kathryn looked at her with barely concealed amusement dancing across her face, "wow. I think I felt that in my – something," she waggled her eyebrows.

Regina rolled her eyes as she arranged her things for class. She pulled a pen out of her purse and then placed it on the desk. She perfectly aligned her notebook paper and her textbook beside one another and then folded her hands on her lap as she waited for the class to start. She was the picture definition of prim and proper.

"So you're actually going to come and share in the happy with all of us this Halloween?" Kathryn asked.

Regina frowned as she mulled over the question. Halloween was a difficult holiday for the Mills family. Their house was always a target for teenage angst. But Halloween was the worst. Instead of a few drunken teenagers wanting to let off some steam; it seemed the entire school waited for this one night to bombard their house with eggs, teepeeing, and graffiti. There was no regard to the fact that human beings lived there.

Normally the family packed their bags and went to a hotel for the week. The grounds workers already knew the drill of making sure to have the house and yard cleaned up by the time they got back. But this year Emma had asked Regina to the dance. And she had been surprised at how much she'd wanted to go.

Just for one night she wanted to know what it was like to be like all the other kids. To spend time enjoying her youth instead of preparing for the rest of her entire life before she even had a clear idea of what it was she even wanted. This coming out to the school was the first step in finally being a part of the school and having a high school experience she could look back at one day and laugh with her grandkids over. She just wanted to be – free.

"Emma wants to go," she nodded and smiled.

"Yay!" Kathryn threw up her arms and cheered.

Regina rolled her eyes and then faced forward as the teacher called the room to order. But the grin on her face said it all.

WF

Emma couldn't wipe the smile off of her face. She was buzzing on a natural high. And she loved it!

She had hooked the most beautiful girl in school. Actually Regina was the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen in her life. And she had actually returned Emma's feelings for her!

She had been so nervous when this whole thing had started out. Regina was a little younger than she was. And obviously inexperienced. But that was just part of Emma's draw to her. She wasn't angry, bitter, or just plain bored with life like all the other kids she hung around with.

She was funny, brilliant, and determined. She wanted big things from life. Emma knew she was going places in her life. And she seemed more than happy to allow Emma to tag along with her. She had never felt more privileged in her life.

Emma had wanted to yell her feelings from the rooftops. And if Regina's parents weren't always home, she would too. But she knew she needed to keep her rep of being too cool to care about anything intact. And she needed to be careful about not spooking Regina away from her.

She had asked her to the Halloween dance because that's what couples were supposed to do. Date. Though they spent everyday together, it was a little on the boring side. I mean – she loved Regina's family and all – but Cora was always looking over their shoulders and clearly suspicious of what they were doing when they weren't in her sight line.

Emma just wanted to be a teenager for once. And to pull Regina out of her shell some. So she'd been excited to hear about the upcoming Halloween dance and knew they had to go.

Halloween was one of her favorite holidays. Well - most holidays were her favorite but Halloween was definitely in the top 3. It allowed the little kid in her that was always just under the surface to run free. And Halloween was all about mischief run amuck.

She was going to take Regina to the dance and watch the jealousy on everyone's faces as she danced with the most beautiful – and until recently – unattainable girl in the school. Then before she drove her back to the hotel her family was staying at for some reason, she had a special surprise waiting for her before handing her over to her Mother.

She had rented a room in the local inn that was as far away from her parents room as she could get. She'd planned on getting there early and fixing it up with a late picnic spread for the two of them by candlelight. And hopefully some kissing and heavy petting.

She knew better than to try anything else. Regina was obviously a virgin and she didn't want to force anything on her. But if they could get in a little alone time together, she would be grateful for that.

"Yo Swan!" August, one of her mates called out to her as she made her way to the back of the classroom. "What's this I hear about you thawing out the ice queen?"

Emma frowned. August had been her mate for a long time but if he didn't straighten himself out she had no problem putting him in his place. "She's not an ice princess. And we're just going to spend Halloween together is all."

August snorted, "please! Every guy in here has tried to catch her attention. She just looks right on through everyone. How'd you get so lucky?"

The teacher walked in the room and called for order. Emma waggled her eyebrows at August while giving him a devilish grin, "I got it like that!" she whispered before settling in. She returned her attention to the front of the room long enough to get the gist of what was going on. Then she slouched down and laid her head on the desk. She pulled her hoodie over her head and sailed away on daydreams about her upcoming date.

RQ

"No!" Kathryn said as they continued to peruse the shelves.

Regina clicked her tongue and tried to protest, "But - ."

She shook her head, "No buts. It's Halloween. The only time you can dress like a total slut and not be slut shamed. Plus you can show off that killer body you keep trapped under those frumpy clothes and really send Emma into cardiac arrest."

Regina lifted her nose in the air, "my clothes are not frumpy," she folded her arms over her body defiantly.

Kathryn gave her a smirk, "would you rather I said matronly?"

Regina rolled her eyes and went back to going through the costumes. She had never been bothered by what the school thought of her. She already had her sights on what her future looked like after high school. She had plans to go to the same college as her sister. And from there on to a career that would earn her tons of money and prestige. Then eventually a marriage and children. She had never had a thought of joining in any of the school's social though her Mother forced her to attend the staff parties they held in her house, it was just not something she'd ever cared about.

Before Emma that is. Now after Emma, so many things that she had thought were settled had come to surface. With Emma, it was easier for her to be free and more like the kids she read about in her books.

"Here it is!" Kathryn pulled out an outfit and showed it to Regina. "Emma's going to flip!"

Regina bit her lower lip as she studied the outfit. She knew that Emma would flip. She had known that she had been taking things slow with her because it was all that Regina was comfortable with. She also knew that Emma was anything but innocent about anything in the world.

But Kathryn's matron crack had hit hard. She had never cared before. But she did now. She just wanted to spend one night being just like everyone else. For once she wanted to be a normal kid doing normal kid things..

She took the hanger that held the skimpy pirate wrench costume on it from her friend, "I'll take it," she grinned at her surprised friend.

SQ

The night had been a hit!

Regina had chuckled at the way Emma's eyes had bulged and she licked at her lips repeatedly as she stared at her girlfriend when she answered the door for her. She'd previously changed her mind repeatedly about wearing the dress. It was so much more revealing than anything that she'd ever worn before. But seeing Emma's face was enough to let her know she had chosen right. "You like?" She'd turned in a circle so that Emma could watch the way that the skirt fanned out around her as she twirled.

Emma reluctantly lowered her eyes from the huge amount of exposed cleavage to the length of leg that had been on display during her twirl. "Me lo – ve," Emma crooned. "Just as much as I do the girl wearing it," she leaned and pulled Regina into her arms. She fused their lips together and the two indulged in the feel of being together.

Regina had been the first to whisper the words 'I love you,' during one of their make out sessions on the rooftops. She'd blushed as Emma had pulled back breathily. She bit her lip and hoped she didn't look or sound stupid. But Emma had just run her hand down her cheek. She'd then whispered back that she loved her too before the two of them continued kissing until Cora called from downstairs that it was getting time for Emma to leave.

"I love you too bae," Regina smiled sweetly as the two of them pulled back from one another. Her eyes swept Emma from head to toe. "You look pretty amazing yourself."

Emma did a mock dance as she twirled around in her long dress. She had decided to go with Queen Raveena from the Huntsman movie the two of them had watched recently. The sharp, gold tips she wore on her fingernails were a little intimidating. But Regina was transfixed by how tight the dress that she wore was and how it accentuated Emma's curves perfectly.

"Did you actually have that specially made?" she narrowed her eyes to take in the intricate details.

Emma blushed, "You loved that movie more than I did. And Raveena was completely bad assed."

Regina's face became pensive, "I thought you'd make a better Freya than Raveena."

Emma waved her away dismissively and snorted, "screw that. There's no such thing as being all 'good'. Villains are always way better than goody two-shoes anyway."

Regina pulled out of her arms and giggled at Emma's frown as she reached for her purse and overnight bag. "We'd better get going if we actually do want to make it to the dance," she'd reminded her.

"Well – we don't really hafta - ," Emma started to say while shifting from foot to foot.

"I did not get dressed up just to not even bother having anyone see all this," she swept a hand up and down gesturing her whole body. "Anyway, I can't wait to see if you can keep up with me on the dance floor," she winked at her before walking out the door. Once Emma cleared the doorway, she turned and locked it up. She'd already secured all of the windows and made sure all the lights were out.

Emma took Regina's bag from her and swung it over her shoulder. She walked over to her car that she had gotten detailed for tonight even though she'd barely driven it since her Mom had given it to her and opened the passenger side door. She bowed at the waist as she waited for Regina who had followed her. She helped her inside and slipped around the back. She tossed the overnight bag into the boot before rounding it and making her way to the driver's side. She turned to Regina, "Oh I got _all_ the right moves babe. Just you wait and see!" she waggled her eyebrows as she started up the car for the less than 5 minute drive to the school.

The dance had gone exceptionally well. They met up with Regina's friends Belle, Kathryn, and her boyfriend Jim first. After they'd snagged a prime table that let them see the entire room, Regina formally introduced them all to one another even though everyone already knew who Emma was. But it was the first time she got to say 'my girlfriend' in public. So she found herself repeating it often.

Soon, the group was joined by some of Emma's mates. There was August who Emma said was like a brother to her, Neal, and Graham. Once more, they really needed no introduction since they were the usual motley crew who were usually behind almost every prank in the school. But it was the polite thing to do.

Emma had spiked a few of her drinks from her best mate's August's flask that he kept handy for all school events. But Regina had abstained. She really didn't like the taste or smell of alcohol. It had just never appealed to her before. Once Emma had downed her 3rd drink, Regina grabbed her hand and forced her onto the dance floor to sweat it out.

The two had spent the next couple of hours locked in one another arms with only a few breaks for drinks and to catch their breath. They lost all cares and concerns for the crowd around them. As they gazed lovingly at one another, they were the only thing the other saw. It had been the best night of Regina's life.

Once the dance was over they collected their things from their table. They made their goodbyes to their friends as they left the dance arm in arm and walked back to the car. After spending a few more minutes making out so intensely that they'd fogged up the windows, Emma pulled back. "I'd better get you to your parents before we get into real trouble."

Regina pouted, "but – I don't want this night to end," she admitted.

Emma grinned at her and took her hand. "Don't worry babe. I've got one more surprise for you yet." She put the car in drive and took off.

Regina smiled though she was a little nervous. Things had been progressing between them pretty steadily. She just wasn't sure how she felt about the whole 'sex' thing yet. She knew Emma was no virgin. And that didn't bother her. What did was whether or not she was fully ready to make that big of a commitment yet. Once you've gone all the way, you can't just turn around and go back to holding hands again. Though she loved Emma with all her young heart, she wasn't sure if it right for them to take that leap.

She had been so busy lost in her own head that she hadn't even noticed where they were driving to until the car skidded to a stop. "What the - ?!" Emma cried.

Once Regina took stock of where they were she almost broke out in tears. But before she could tell her to drive on, Emma had already leaped out of the car.

"WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" she screamed at her friends. She turned back toward the car to check on Regina. When she saw her trying to wipe her tears away, she faced forward and turned her rage on her friends once again. "STOP THAT RIGHT NOW AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

August had a spray can in his hand laughing away. His eyes were glazed over and Emma knew it wasn't just alcohol that was fueling his stupidity. She slapped the can out of his hand before turning to stare at Regina's house in horror.

The yard and trees were littered with eggs, toilet paper, and graffiti. They had spray painted The Headmistress Likes to Treat Herself by Taking Tricks on her Knees on the front of the house. She was horrified. She glanced over her shoulder again and her heart clenched at the sight. She had her arms wrapped around herself and she was staring the other way out the car window. But Emma knew that she wasn't just silently crying. Her body was rocking back and forth which let her know that she was completely breaking down. Her heart clenched up as she glared at her best friends.

Neal and Graham had heard the commotion and had come to see what was going on. "What's the problem Emma? We do this every holiday."

Emma shook her head, "not anymore we don't. Now get this mess picked up and get the hell out of here. Or I swear you'll all have me to answer to."

Neal started to get nervous. Emma was their best mate. And they had seen her angry plenty of times. But never at them, "I don't understand. What are you so mad about? This is our tradition."

Emma got into his face and practically growled. "since your head is so big it and it must be hard to get anything through it I will say it again - NOT ANYMORE! Now I will give you until the count of 5 to get the hell out of here." The boys all looked at one another confused. When she began counting slowly they started to get nervous. By the time she had gotten to three they had already booked it to their car.

Emma took one last look at the damage while shaking her head. She turned back to where her girlfriend sat and walked back to the car. She climbed into the driver's side and looked over at her girlfriend. "Regina, I'm really - ."

Regina turned on her swiftly. "Why did you come back here? We were supposed to be going to the hotel."

Emma was taken aback, "I know. But you said you had forgotten your comfortable shoes," she gestured to the high heels she was now wearing that had been hurting her feet. She hadn't let it bother her though. She'd continued dancing loving the feel of being in her love's arms.

"I thought that we'd swing by here really fast and you could run in and grab them. Then we could go to the hotel for your real surprise," Emma spoke nervously as she felt her girlfriend's anger radiate off of her. But she pushed on because behind the mask of rage she could also see the pain that she was doing a poor job at hiding. Again, she tried apologizing, "I'm really sor - ."

Regina turned on her quickly, "Don't for a second pretend that this isn't what you always do." Emma colored guiltily because it was. But it had never been personal. Just stupid teenage pranks. That was before she had come to know the family. And fallen in love with their daughter.

"I see you out there at every single one. This is the reason we don't stay here for the holidays! This is why we always have to leave. Punks like you who like to ruin things for no good reason. You should be so proud of yourself," Regina hissed acidly.

Regina gritted her teeth as Emma shrank back and avoided her eyes. She knew she had stung her. And after they had just shared a beautiful evening together. But she couldn't help it.

Sitting there watching and having to be reminded of how horrible it felt everytime they had to sit through one of these incidences. Her parents would turn out the lights and send them to their rooms as their way of protecting them. But they still had to sit and listen as the pelting of anything wet, sticky, and smelly rained down against their house. Those nights, her sister and she would spend clinging to one another.

Their parents called would call the police. And try to make them understand that it wasn't personal. But everyone knew that they lived there. How could they not?

After a moment of nothing but silence Regina wiped angrily at her eyes. She sniffled as she tried to compose herself, "Just take me to the hotel," she said tiredly. The night that had started with her wanting it to never end had turned into a nightmare that she wanted desperately to wake up from. She folded her arms across her chest and refused to look in Emma's direction.

Emma sighed before she put the car in drive. They drove back to the hotel in silence. At the front door, Emma parked and got out to help Regina. But she was already at the boot before she'd even had a chance to get her seatbelt off.

"Just pop the trunk," she called over her shoulder. "I can get my bag myself."

Emma swallowed thickly and she blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall before she reached over and pushed the button to release the trunk. Regina immediately grabbed her bag then slammed it back down again. She watched as her girlfriend stormed off inside without another look or word to her.

After enough time had passed that she thought it was safe, she walked into the inn. She pulled the key to the room that she had spent the entire afternoon decorating with candles all over it and a picnic on the bed out of her pocket. "I guess I won't be needing this tonight," she said as she handed it over to the night manager. She walked away without another word.

After she got home, she went through her nightly routine. Then she sat on her bed with her phone looking through the all the pics they'd taken. Before she went to bed she sent off one last text that read: **I'm really sorry about tonight. I wanted to make it special. Sorry about being such a screw up.**

She had wanted to be angry at her friends earlier but she had known she really couldn't. She was the one who had started the tradition of peltering the headmistresses house as an act of teenage rebellion and a big screw you to the system that kept them imprisoned. It had always just been about blowing off steam. Now she felt as big as an ant.

She waited a while to see if Regina would respond. When she didn't she lay down and tried her best to get to sleep.

Emma was up and ready early the next morning. Or rather she'd spent the night staring at her ceiling trying to figure out how to fix this problem. She didn't want to lose Regina. She had become too important to her.

As soon as it approached the time that normal people would be getting up, she pulled out her laptop and began to search online. She searched until she had all the components that she needed. Then she dispatched them out immediately.

With the click of a few keys, she finished her purchases. She keyed in her credit card info and pushed enter. She didn't care about the expenses. As an adolescent, she'd once thought that if she got into enough trouble, her Mother would have no choice but to pay attention to her. One of her many rebellious acts was to run up her credit card into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. But after almost a year in which she knew her Mother had seen the bills yet never said a word to her about them she had given up hope and accepted the reality. Her Mother didn't care what she did so long as she didn't have to deal with her personally. Now, instead of being rebellious, she could use this to her own personal advantage. She grinned at her handiwork before getting up and jumping into the shower.

RQ

When Regina and her family pulled up to the house late that Monday morning, there was plenty of activity out front. Regina leaned between the seats of their car and she and her parents stared at it all in surprise. The grounds maintenance crew should've already had the house cleaned up the day after Halloween. They'd taken an extended weekend just to make sure that they had enough time to get the house in order before they had to witness what had happened there.

"Those don't look like our normal groundskeepers," Henry frowned as he watched the men in bright green uniforms moving around their property. The uniforms of the usual groundskeepers matched the school colors, red, black, and blue.

Her Mother stopped the car mirroring her Father's frown and parked, "It's because they aren't." She got out and walked up to some of the men who were working on the house. She had on her usual professional mask that she wore at school. The one that the kids at school dubbed her the Queen of Mean for. She looked at the house then turned and looked back at the car surprised. She walked back to the car with her head lowered.

"What's happening Mother?" Regina asked after an extended silence. Her Mother just sat there doing nothing but staring silently at the men as she drummed her fingers against the steering wheel and frowned at them as they worked.

"Seems your – friend – ," she still wasn't comfortable calling Emma her girlfriend though she had no problem with them dating. Or rather she hadn't aired any complaints to Regina about it. Emma had become a regular daily visitor in their house and Regina thought her presence helped fill up the emptiness that had developed after her father's illness with much needed light, laughter, and love.

Cora face became puckered as she continued, "thought that it would be a good idea to have a fence installed. There's also some men putting in a security system complete with cameras and motion detectors."

Cora had asked for these same things many times over from her boss. But she'd always refused saying it was a waste of money. And there were more important things to do than to waste much needed resources on something so frivolous. She'd argued that having the groundskeepers constantly having to come out and get the place cleaned up everytime some of the students got drunk and stupid cost more in the long run. Snow had begged to differ, and being the boss, she had won.

Now it seemed her daughter had overruled her Mother's decision and done something that was much appreciated on her own. Maybe the girl wasn't completely bad news though judging where she came from, Cora was completely convinced.

Regina sat back with a smile slowly forming on her face. She'd ignored Emma's texts of her apologizing profusely over the past few days. She'd instead wallowed in her own personal grief. She'd spent time with her parents and tried to shut out that strangling feeling she'd get everytime they'd had to cower inside their home while rich, spoiled, out of control brats trashed their home with no respect for anyone living there. She had been miserable the entire time. She'd blamed Emma for making her feel that way again. But this - .

Her smile grew even wider as she watched the men painting the house a mixture of black and purple. Her favorite colors. With the green from the gardens as a backdrop it added a lovely, vibrant mix of color. She knew her Mother would hate it. But she herself loved it.

When they went inside, another surprise sitting on the dining room table greeted them There was a huge chocolate covered fruit gift basket, a card that said I'm sorry, balloons, stuffed teddy bears, a salted caramel apple, and boxes of chocolates lying there. Cora again turned and frowned at her daughter as she took in the display. Regina's smile turned into a full blown grin as she surveyed the array.

After helping her Mother with her Father downstairs, Regina ran to her room. She pulled out her phone and stared down at Emma's last text with a grin so wide she thought her face was going ot end up sore for days because of it yet even that thought couldn't dampen it. After nervously starting then deleting text after text she decided to merely go with: **Thank you.**

It seemed like she had to wait forever to receive an answer. Just when she'd given up hope that maybe she'd pushed Emma too far away her phone beeped. **It was nothing, my love. 3**


	6. Growing Up Isn't Easy

**CHAPTER 6**

"I'm not sure that this is what my Mother meant when she said we could go out to dinner," Regina raised her eyebrows and looked around at the spread before her. She turned back toward her girlfriend with a small smile.

Emma had decorated her room just as she had the room at the inn they'd never gotten to use. She'd cleaned the place from top to bottom. Then she'd placed candles on every available surface, spread out a picnic on the bed, and she'd hooked up with her 'movie dude' as she called him. He was a guy who sold movie codes for cheap. She loved movies to death. And he'd been her dealer for the past year. She got to watch all the latest movies before they even came out on disk. She had thousands of them.

Regina walked slowly around the room as she inspected all the little parts of Emma that she hadn't yet uncovered. She was a clutter bug. Though the rom looked like she'd made an effort to pick it up, there were still small areas of things just clumped together here and there. She seemed to really love the color red. The place was still tasteful and spoke of wealth but it had almost a goth look. Minus the weird and gore that it is.

She looked around at all the nick nacks on all the shelves and available surfaces. She stopped at the small collection of photographs that lined her nightstand.

There were a few of her and her Mother at different functions. They just seemed to look like they'd been taken at special events. There was nothing personal about any of them. Just the two of them dressed up and wearing forced smiles for the camera.

There were some of her and her grandfather. He seemed the closest thing to a father figure and someone who genuinely loved her for her that Emma had. She talked about him fondly and kept telling Regina that she'd love him as much as she did after she introduced him to her. But there behind all the others, was a large photograph of what appeared to be an attractive man smiling into the camera. It was clear that this was the one she treasured the most.

He was standing in a casual pose. He was just kicked back against a tree. He had blonde hair, dimples, and was very attractive.

"That's my dad," Emma came closer to Regina and stood over her shoulder as she smiled at the picture that obviously had a special place in her heart. She had already told Regina about him dying as a war hero before she had even been born.

For some reason, the picture seemed off to her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. But it gave her a slightly uneasy feeling. Which was why Regina quickly turned away from it and smiled over at her girlfriend, "I'm still not seeing how hanging around your room is a 'date'. We do this everyday at my house," she teased her.

"Hey, I said dinner and a movie," Emma moved to wrap her arms around her girlfriend. "I didn't lie."

Regina giggled. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Emma's neck and the two began to sway from side to side even though there was no music playing. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips into Emma's loving the feel of being this close to her. She hummed as Emma's tongue pressed further to sweep through her mouth.

After a minute, Emma pulled back. Their kisses were moving into a territory that she knew Regina just wasn't ready for yet. She gestured around her then held her arm out for her girlfriend to take. Regina rolled her eyes but played along anyway.

Emma helped her settle on one side of the bed. Then she ran around to the other side and carefully sat across from her.

"I thought there was going to be some homecooking," Regina grumped. But the slurping of the straw of her chocolate chocolate chip milkshake helped take the sting away.

"I told you I can't cook. But I do one mean ordering out," she held up her pointer finger and blew on it. She then grabbed up a fry and bit into it. "Mmm, I've missed you old friend."

Regina swatted at her, "I thought you liked my cooking."

"The word is love my dear. And that goes for everything about you. But I still need a li'l on the side, ya know?" Emma grabbed 3 fries at once. She dipped them in ketchup and then popped them in her mouth. She threw back her head with her eyes closed to savor the taste.

Regina rolled her eyes, "where's my movie?"

Emma's eyes flew open. "Oh, here!" she turned and grabbed the remote off of her nightstand. She tossed it over to Regina.

Regina was only barely able to catch it. She had never been athletic. She stared down at it confused. The thing was huge. It was one of those multifunctional kind that had a keyboard attached to it. She had no idea what she was supposed to do with it.

Emma saw her confusion and held out her hand, "Here. I've got this."

Emma was extremely proud of her bedroom's set up. One of the sweetest parts was her 88 inch 4k smart tv complete with 3d and a surround system that rivaled most cinemas. Sometimes she would just stare at the beauty and might of the thing. It had almost brought tears to her eyes the first time she saw it. And she still got a little emotional over it even now.

With all of the time she spent on her own, movies were always important to her. They were an escape from the monotonous hell that had been her life before meeting Regina.

There was a movie for every emotion. She had almost every movie that was ever made. And was damned proud of it too!

She turned on the set and clicked the vudu app. Then she handed the remote back to her love. She showed Regina how to scroll through her movie library and told her to choose whatever she liked.

Regina decided to settle on Tom Hank's Inferno. Partly because she had already read the book but still hadn't seen it. She preferred reading to tv watching. But she still loved a good movie every now and again. And she had never seen anyone who enjoyed them more than Emma.

They settled back against the headboard to watch the movie as they finished their dinner. They paused it once to clear up the clutter because Regina just couldn't sit around empty used food containers. She wasn't a barbarian. Then they climbed back into the middle of Emma's king sized bed together. Emma threw her arm around Regina who rested her head upon her shoulder. By the end of the movie, both girls had fallen asleep.

SQ

Loud thumping on the door downstairs had both girls shooting upright. They turned and looked at one another stunned.

"Holy shit!" Emma muttered. Regina stared back at her in shock.

"Emma!" Mulan called from downstairs. They could hear the annoyance at being woken up and the yawning in her voice, "You have company."

Emma's look of shock immediately turned to horror.

Regina groaned and buried her head in her hands. She didn't need to know who it was at the door. She stood and collected her purse and shoes, "I'm so sorry Emma. I really did have a good time," she gave her a small smile.

Emma looked like she was about to be hung. But she still conjured up a smile of her own in return, "me too. I would say we should do it again sometime but I'm sure your Mom's about to kill me now," she gestured down the stairs.

Regina exhaled loudly then squared her shoulders. She made her way down the stairs in front of Emma.

Cora stood in the doorway with her arms crossed and her face pinched. She was tapping her foot repeatedly. She looked past Regina to glare at Emma, "I said that you were allowed dinner and a movie. Not my daughter's hand in marriage."

Emma reddened and began to nervously wring her hands, "I'm really sorry. It's all my fault and - ."

Regina stepped up, "No it isn't. We're both to blame. We fell asleep in the middle of the movie. I'm really sorry for worrying you. But you could've just called. I am capable of making it back home on my own."

"Not at this hour you're not," Cora admonished. "But it won't be a problem for you for a while since you'll be busy being grounded for the next month."

Regina started to protest but caught the fire in her Mother's eyes and knew it would be a losing battle. She turned to Emma instead and apologized again, "I'm sorry." She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to Emma's. She made sure the kiss lasted a good full minute just to rile her Mother before pulling back. "Goodnight my love."

Emma glanced over her shoulder at her Mother's angry face. She was clearly terrified. The woman wasn't dubbed the Queen of Mean for no reason, "good night," she called as Regina made her way to the door. She flung it open and stomped past her Mother out to the car.

Cora threw Emma one last glare before following her daughter out the door. She walked slowly behind Regina who had sped so far ahead that she now had to stand there and wait for the doors to be unlocked.

Cora took her time about walking up to it before she pulled out the key fob and unlocked it

Regina quickly jumped into the front seat and let the seatbelt fold across her chest. She slammed the door before turning to glare out the window.

Cora got in and started up the car. Her anger at the situation was palpable. They drove in silence for a while as she tried to get her temper under control.

"You're not having – relations – with that girl are you?" Cora didn't even bother waiting for an answer from her daughter, "Because you're too young for that sort of thing. She could go to jail for that. She's almost 18. In the eyes of the law she's already an adult."

Regina scoffed. It was bad enough she'd been 'fetched' in the middle of the night when a simple call would've sufficed. But she'd done nothing wrong. And there was nothing going on between her and Emma that she needed to be made to feel guilty or ashamed about, "What I do with my body is my own business. And how dare you threaten us like that?! I love her Mother. And there's nothing you can say that will change that!"

Cora sighed, "You don't have to do this just because you think all the other kids are. There's no shame in waiting."

"If - and I do mean IF - as in not right now, I decide to have sex with Emma that will be my choice. And it will be between me and her. I'm not a baby anymore Mother. You're going to have to cut the umbilical. But no… to answer your obnoxious question I am not having 'relations' with that girl," Regina rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

When they pulled up to the house she jumped out of the car before it had even completely stopped. She stood staring stoically ahead as she waited for her Mother to unlock the door.

Again, Cora followed at a slower pace. When she reached the door she muttered, "I just don't want you thinking that you have to do something that you're not ready for. You're only 15 Regina. And I know that your feelings right now seem overwhelming but believe me when I say you'll have plenty of time for this sort of thing later in your life. You don't have to rush into something because of peer pressure."

"Exactly! It's my life Mother. And my body," she pointed to her chest. "MINE!" she shook her head emphatically. "Not yours. We did nothing wrong. We were watching a movie and then we fell asleep. It was an ACCIDENT. It certainly wasn't on purpose," she swiped a frustrated hand through her hair. She knew she was getting loud but she didn't care. Her Mother was treating her like she was some stupid sex crazed teen who didn't have an ability to use her own brain, "I'm not stupid you know. I'm fully capable of making my own decisions for myself without following a mindless herd."

Cora finished unlocking the door and turned to her daughter, "I just don't want you growing up faster than you have to."

Regina shook her head lightly, "I know that! But you do need to realize and respect the fact that I'm already more grown up than you give me credit for." She looked at her Mother's sad face. She instantly deflated. She never liked arguing with her parents. They'd always been close. That is – until Papi's illness. She leaned over and gave her a hug, "I love you Mother. Nothing will ever change that. But I also love Emma. And when we decide we're ready to take that step, it will be between the two of us. But absolutely NOTHING happened tonight. We were both just more tired than we realized is all."

Cora's eyes were glistening with tears but she managed to swallow them down before nodding. She knew she was telling her the truth. And maybe she had overreacted.

Regina was a good girl who did her proud. But she was also her baby. It was hard as a Mother to let go of your children when you'd spent your entire life swearing to never allow anything to hurt them.

They walked into the house together and started to go their separate ways. Just before she made it to the stairs, Regina turned back around. Cora waited expectantly to hear what she had to say.

"I love you Mother. And I don't want to fight. Can we please maybe talk about this more after we've slept on it?"

Cora stared at her babygirl. When had she become so grown up? She swallowed thickly and nodded because she wasn't sure if she could trust her own voice.

Regina smiled and ran back over to her Mother. She threw her arms around her and hugged her tight. Cora squeezed her back equally hard.

Regina started to pull away but Cora held her closer. "Just a couple of minutes more," she begged.

Regina sagged into her Mother's arm and allowed the familiarity to comfort her.

RQ

"So what happened?" Kathryn cornered Regina as soon as she walked into the school the next morning.

Belle walked up beside her, "yeah. Your Mom sounded really pissed the other night when she couldn't find you."

Regina's cheeks colored at hearing this news. She knew she that had worried her parents but this was really embarrassing, "I'm really sorry she did that."

"So?" Belle waited expectantly.

"So what? Emma and I fell asleep watching a movie and my Mother overreacted."

Belle and Kathryn shared a secretive smile that Regina just barely managed to catch. "What?"

"Sleeping as in with no clothes on?" Kathryn peered at her friend suspiciously.

Regina rolled her eyes and threw her head back, "Oh my god. No wonder my Mother thinks I must have sex on my brain," she muttered. "We were sleeping as in nighty night," she gave them a patronizing wave just as a child would. "We were more tired than we thought we were so we ended up passing out." Her cheeks colored as she finished explaining to her friends, "We haven't had sex yet. We've never done more than making out."

Both girls frowned at their friend, "I don't get it. Why not?"

Belle nodded, "you two have been together for a few months. It's really weird that you haven't done anything with her yet."

Regina's cheeks flamed as she closed her locker and they began to head toward their classrooms. "It's my first time. I want it to be special, ya know?" she shrugged sheepishly.

As they settled into their seats before the bell rang Kathryn leaned over toward her and whispered, "just don't make her wait too long. I'm not sure Emma's the waiting type."

Regina frowned before she spent the next few hours mulling this over.


	7. Face to Face with the Truth

*****I don't normally post this close together but this is the bridge to getting to the second part of this story. It was initially a part of the previous chapter but it had gotten so long that I thought it best to break them down. I hope you enjoy! :) TW: Incest*****

 **CHAPTER 7**

"We're almost there," Emma told her girlfriend grimly as the limo began to wind its way closer to her family home.

To her, it was only home in the casual sense. Since she'd been in boarding school since the age of 5, she pretty much felt like an orphan. Her mother and grandfather turned up enough to stamp out any rumors that they were neglectful, but that did nothing to change how Emma felt.

She watched Regina's eyes pop as the house came into view. She herself was accustomed to the over the top spectacle of money and power. But she supposed it could seem overwhelming to one who wasn't aware that it was nothing but mortar and brick. If it wasn't for her Grandfather and Tiana, she wasn't sure she'd ever come home at all.

But this trip for her was special. This was going to be her formal coming out trip. She would tell her family that she was in love with the greatest woman in the world.

Regina watched enraptured as the house slowly came into view. It was a sprawling mansion that seemed to take up an entire city block. And it was spectacular. Though it wasn't exactly a place she'd feel comfortable living in, she had to admit that it was quite impressive.

This trip for her was also important. She and Emma had officially been dating for 6 months. And she was finally ready to take things to the next level.

She had been waiting for the right moment to bring it up. Emma was always ever courteous. She was allowing Regina to set the pace for their relationship. But denying what her mind and body was craving was driving her mad. She was ready to give herself entirely to the woman she knew she wanted to spend her life with. So when Emma asked her to accompany her to meet her family, she knew that it was the perfect time.

So she had used every weapon in her guilt trip arsenal to convince her Mother to allow her to go. Though she'd given her tons of grief about calling as soon as she got there and checking in often, Cora had eventually caved and given her consent.

As they drew closer to the house, the excitement that she had initially felt began to give way to her nervous tension. She wasn't used to being around people like this. Not on a personal level anyway. Though she went to school with a lot of privileged youth, she herself wasn't one. Her parents worked hard for everything they had achieved. Could she even fit in? Would she be accepted with open arms the way she hoped?

Still she was determined to not let it get to her. And she wouldn't allow it to take away from her enjoyment of spending this time with her love.

She turned to her with a grin on her face. But that was quickly wiped away as she noted the tension in her face and stiff posture. She reached out and clasped her hand, "it's going to be okay Emma. I'm sure your Mom will be okay."

Emma tried to conjure up a small smile so that she didn't alarm her girlfriend. But honestly she wasn't so sure she could agree with her. She knew that Regina couldn't begin to understand her life and what she'd gone through with her Mom. She'd tried explaining the isolation she'd felt her entire life. Or how her Mom had a habit of making her feel like she wasn't good enough for her. And although she sympathized, Regina had two loving parents. She could never really understand the full situation.

Coming out to your parents was nerve wracking no matter what. But Emma's situation had an extra layer of nerves involved. What if she was shunned? Or disinherited? What if this was a bridge too far for her and her Mother's already tenuous relationship?

The car finally pulled up to the circular drive out front. Emma quickly downed the bottle of water she'd filched from the mini bar. She turned to Regina and smiled, "last chance to make a run for it?" her eyebrows rose as she tried to turn her very real question into a joke.

Regina laughed and then stepped out after the chauffeur came around and opened the door. She clasped her purse in both hands as she waited for Emma to exit the car.

To Emma's surprise, the door of the mansion opened and out walked the two people she'd been in mortal fear of facing. Her Grandfather and her Mother had both come out to greet them. This was something that they had never done before. Her Mother would just wait for her to come and find her after she got home. She figured this was because she had warned them that she might be bringing someone along with her.

As soon as she saw her Grandfather, she flung herself at him. He caught her and the air filled with their laughter, "I missed you," she told him. She kissed his cheek before pulling back with a large smile on her face.

"Hey Mom," her cheeks colored slightly as she stepped forward to exchange air kisses with her.

Snow looked over her shoulder at the newcomer, "who's your friend?"

Emma knew it was now or never. She stepped closer to Regina and grabbed her hand. "Mom, Grandpa, this is my girlfriend… Regina."

A smile grew on Leopold's face as he looked her over from head to toe. He stepped forward and offered her his hand, "It's nice to meet you Regina. Anyone who can put a smile that big on my Granddaughter's face is of course always welcomed here."

Regina nodded her thanks and hello to him and to Snow, "I'm really happy to meet both of you."

"Well - ," Snow brought everyone's attention back around to her, " - since you two are together that means Tiana doesn't have to go through the trouble of setting up a separate room for you."

Emma flushed bright red. She began to nervously shuffle from foot to foot, "we're not – I mean – we don't - ," she stuttered as she threw a torturous apology at her girlfriend.

Regina grabbed her hand, "It's fine. We don't mind sharing," she smiled brightly at Snow.

Snow rolled her eyes before turning back toward the mansion. Everyone else followed at a slower pace. Snow immediately excused herself while Leopold, as he insisted Regina call him, had the girls follow him to study so that they could get to know one another.

Emma exhaled a huge breath as the tension that had been building inside her as they got closer to the house left. Everything was out in the open. And her Mom hadn't even blinked at her announcement. Though she was relieved that things had worked out, she still felt a little sting at how her Mother seemed to still not care. At least the worst was over. Now she could just kick back and enjoy time with her favorite people: her Grandfather, Tiana, and the love of her life, Regina.

SQ

They spent some time chatting with Emma's grandfather before he excused himself to tend to some work. Emma then took Regina to the kitchen to introduce her to Tiana. After spending time enjoying some of her beignets while suffering through embarrassing baby stories of herself, Emma was finally able to pull Regina away. She held her hand as they made their way upstairs to her bedroom.

This room, like her loft, was also decorated in red, black, and white. It too had a king sized canopy bed in the middle of it. And once again Regina was confronted with the photo of Emma's father smiling at her from her nightstand. She quickly turned away from it as she again got a feeling of unease from looking at it.

Emma stood nervously beside the door, "There's plenty of spare rooms that you could have if you want. It won't be any trouble to get one made up for you."

Regina chuckled, "Emma's it's fine! We're both big girls. It'll be okay."

Emma gave her a small, sheepish smile, "I just don't want you to think I brought you here - ," she shrugged, "you know – for that. I really just wanted you to meet my family. And for them to see how happy you've made me."

Regina slowly walked over to Emma putting an extra sway in her hips. She stopped just in front of her. She raised an eyebrow at her, "what if that's exactly what I want to think?"

Emma's eyes bulged making Regina giggle. She threw her arms around her neck and pulled her into a deep kiss.

RQ

Regina stared up at the ceiling and decided to give up the ghost. Obviously she wasn't going to be able to fall asleep. She looked at Emma snoring loudly in envy.

She was glad that she was now able to get a good night's sleep now that her anxiety had abated over her family's acceptance of her choice of partner. Regina's however, had only intensified as the night grew closer.

They had spent a few minutes talking after a lot of nervous laughter when they climbed into the bed. Regina shredded her hands as scenarios of how to go about making the next move ran through her head. Just when she had gathered her courage, Emma's snores began to fill the air.

Regina shook her head and grinned ruefully as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She took one last look over at Emma before she got up and made her way downstairs.

She was thankful there was plenty of moonlight flooding through the windows to save her from turning on any lights. Now if she could only remember which way to the kitchen through this maze of a house then she'd be set.

After finally finding her way to the kitchen, she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. She had just opened it and was taking a swig when she heard footsteps and talking. She quickly hid in the large walk in pantry. She wasn't hiding out of fear of doing something wrong. She just didn't want to be stuck making small talk in the middle of the night.

She pulled the door to but didn't close it all the way. She peered out through the small crack between the door and the doorjamb and could easily make out who was in the kitchen.

" – we really do need to get it all taken care of first thing in the morning. I'm going to need you to get right on that," Leopold, as he'd insisted she called him told his daughter.

"I head you the first 1000 times Dad," Snow pulled out a bottle of water and took a large swig while glaring at her father.

Regina's heart nearly leapt from her chest at what she saw next.

Emma's grandfather nodded and smiled at his daughter. That was harmless enough. But then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him in a way no parent should ever do with their child. "That's why I love you so. I just want you to understand how things work for when it's your turn to take over the company."

Regina's eyes bulged as she watched him lean down and kiss his daughter. But this was no affectionate kiss between family. This was a long, deep kiss between lovers. He kissed his daughter the same way she kissed his granddaughter.

Her gasp escaped her mouth before she could catch it. She reached up and quickly covered her mouth as she held her breath and waited.

She watched in panic as Snow pulled away from her Dad, "Did you hear that?" she asked as she peered into the darkness toward the pantry. Regina quickly stepped back hoping she wouldn't be caught.

"It was nothing," her father assured her as he pulled her back close to him and waved his hand dismissively. He put his arm around his daughters' waist in a way that made Regina's stomach churn. Then he led her from the kitchen.

Regina had no idea how long she stood there before she went back up to bed. Emma continued to snore on oblivious to everything as her world rocked beneath her feet.

For some reason, the moonlight pouring in through the curtains caused her eyes to land on the photo of the man who was supposed to be Emma's Father. And for the third time, the sight of it left her unsettled.

She had already made up her mind to never tell Emma what she had just seen. In part, it was because she feared that she wouldn't believe her.

But also because of the roiling feeling in her belly that had been building ever since the first time she'd seen this photo in Emma's loft. She frowned as she studied it carefully before realizing why it bothered her.

The man in the photo was perfect. A little too perfect. As in – he was setup and posed just right. There were no visible flaws in the photo at all. There was no way this was a candid picture.

She reached out and grabbed the frame. She pulled out the picture and almost dropped it as she came to understand what the problem was. It wasn't just a casual picture taken during a camping trip as Emma had told her. Instead, it looked to be mass produced like a stock photo. Which meant there was no way it was real.

Her mind reeled as she instantly tried to deny what her brain was insisting on telling her was the truth. There was no way that this was Emma's dad. And if it wasn't - ?!

She shook her head as she desperately tried to ignore the truth that was insisting on pushing its way through her denial. If this wasn't Emma's father – then that put a new candidate into play. That was a scenario she didn't even want to bother trying to navigate through.

She quickly placed the photo back in it's frame and on the nightstand. She lay back down and turned her back on it. She wrapped her arm around Emma's waist as she pulled her body flush against hers as she tried desperately to pull her warmth into her body as hers began to shiver from a cold that seemed to seep out from her very bones. She stared at nothing for who knows how long before the pure exhaustion from the day pulled her into its welcome dark embrace.


	8. Something Wicked This Way Comes

*****Gotta admit, I agonized over this. It was brutal! But I'm satisfied with where I left it. Hope you will be too. Enjoy! 8D*****

 **CHAPTER 8**

Once again Regina woke up to find the bed beside her empty. She heaved a deep sigh. It was starting to feel like Emma was avoiding her. She shook her head to clear out her negative thoughts as she pushed her hair back over her shoulders. She rolled over and stared at nothing as she tried to get her bearings.

The events of the last couple of weeks came flooding back to her mind. She had seen – that. Snow and Leopold. And unfortunately she couldn't not know what she knew.

Her eyes were instantly drawn to the photo that had always given her a feeling of unease. After what she'd seen the entire situation took on a whole new demented feel to it. Why bother giving Emma a picture and telling her that it was her Dad at all? She just didn't understand it.

She had always thought that it was weird that Snow was so young. Emma had told her that she had been 14 when she'd given birth to her. And at barely 32 she had a rounded baby face that still made it hard to believe she'd birthed a child. She barely looked much older than Emma herself.

Unwilling to deal with the situation at hand, Regina forced herself out of bed. She didn't want to drive herself crazy dwelling on something that was beyond her control. And she definitely had no plans on telling Emma any of what she had seen. It would do nothing but devastate her. And she just didn't feel it was her place since all she had were suspicions and no concrete evidence.

She went through her bag and collected her toiletries before making her way to the bathroom for her morning shower. She allowed the rainfall shower to soothe away any of her muddled thoughts for the time being. Afterward she quickly finished her morning routine and dressed. Then she went in search of her girlfriend.

She had no idea where Emma was but if she knew her as well as she did it only took one guess. Sure enough she walked into the kitchen to find Emma sitting on a stool in front of a heaping plate of food.

Emma gave her an open mouthed grin as she held up her fork and gave her a wink, "Tiana made grillades and cheese grits!" She popped the bite into her mouth before closing her eyes and moaning aloud.

Regina rolled her eyes as she took a seat beside her on the next stool over. She leaned over and gave her a kiss on her cheek. Emma's cheeks became a rosy pink as she gave Regina a shy, adoring smile.

Tiana smiled at the young couple as she put a plate of grillades in front of Regina. She laid some silverware and a napkin down for her before turning to the fruit salad and spooning her up a dish. She was glad that Emma had found someone who made her happy.

Tiana had been employed with the family since before Emma was born. She had taken the job to help finance her dream of opening a restaurant of her own. When she'd first started working there her original job had been to be nanny/housekeeper to Snow. She would've never been able to foresee that just a few years later, she'd also end up being nanny to Snow's daughter.

Back then Snow had been a sad and lonely 10 year old. She had just lost her Mother and was having some difficulty adjusting to life without her. She and her Mother had been so close and Snow had been so lost without her that Leopold had thought having someone close to her own age to look after her would be a good idea.

The two had gotten along well and Snow was such a delightful child to look after that it didn't even feel like work at all. Despite their barely 6 year age difference Tiana had quickly grown to love the child as if she were her own. The fact that she had also lost her own Mother at a young age had helped her to bond with her fast.

In the beginning everything had been great. Snow was kind and easy to care for. She offered and asked for affection easily. She was a lovely child.

Then a darkness started to come over Snow. She became rebellious and uncontrollable. She began to act like the spoiled little princess Tiana had been scared she'd meet when she'd first met her. She lied, ran away repeatedly, and had even been brought home by the police more than a few times.

Tiana had been thrown. She'd loved this child from the start and didn't understand how such a change could come over anyone. It hurt to watch her try so hard to destroy herself. And then it happened.

She had been the first person to accidentally discover Snow's pregnancy. It had happened during the last time that the police had driven Snow home after finding her at the local train station. Tiana had wanted to talk with her but she knew that she needed some space first.

She retreated to the kitchen and made a fresh batch of her famous caramel beignets that Snow loved so much along with a cup of peppermint tea. Instead of having her come downstairs she'd decided to run it up to her room. Her hands had been full and she'd had to balance the tray with one hand and her knee as she freed up a hand and opened the door. Snow had been in the process of changing out of one of the oversized outfits she had taken to wearing lately and into another. When Tiana saw her she'd stood in the doorway gaping at the size of Snow's distended belly.

She had noticed the weight gain of course. Snow had looked like she'd gained about 30 pounds in the past few months. But she'd contributed it to her increased appetite since she'd started eating practically nonstop. Maybe even a bout of depression. But she had never imagined this.

The two of them had stood in horror staring at one another before Snow gathered herself together. She'd yelled at Tiana to stay out of her room and her life before slamming the door in her face. She'd had no idea how long she'd stood on the other side of that door before her brain was able to process again.

She'd gone to Leopold and confronted him about the situation. He'd sworn his ignorance over the matter but assured her that he would handle it. A few months later, Emma was born and Tiana was given the choice to become her nanny or leave.

She had been tempted then to walk off with her savings and leave the insanity of the job behind. But Emma had been so tiny and helpless. And Snow had made it clear she wanted nothing at all to do with her. She refused to hold her or even be in the same room with her at all. After staring at that beautiful helpless little bundle desperately looking back up at her Tiana knew she didn't have it in her to leave.

So she'd stayed with the family and raised Emma from a tiny babe. It had broken her heart when Snow and Leopold decided to send her to boarding school. But she had known that with the family that she had that it was probably in her best interest.

Despite the love that she heaped on Emma when she could, she had still watched her struggle to find her own way. She just couldn't understand that she wasn't to blame for her Mother's failure to love her. It was something that no child should ever have to deal with. Over the years, Emma had cried so many tears about it into the blanket she'd knitted for her as a baby that it was nothing more than a stiff white square with a blue ribbon around it.

Now Emma was on the brink of becoming a woman. And Tiana had never seen her laugh, smile, or blush so much before in her entire life. She felt a peace steal over her at the realization that Emma would be just fine.

"So - ," Emma shoved the last of her grits and grillades in her mouth. "I thought we'd spend the day hanging around the pool." She held up her arm and grimaced down at it, "I could definitely use more color."

She ran her hand up and down her belly while thrusting it forward, "and then after my food baby digests we can see who can run laps the fastest," she grinned at her girlfriend.

Regina rolled her eyes and gave her a shrug. She didn't care what they did as long as they were able to spend time together.

She had planned for them to spend the past couple of weeks of vacation wrapped in one another's arms. But it seemed Emma had different plans. They'd spend the day together having a good time and Regina would think – tonight's the night! But after chatting with Tiana and before making their way up to bed, Emma would disappear. She'd say that she was going to spend some time talking with her Grandfather every night after he got back from his office in town. Then Regina would spend the night a nervous wreck waiting for Emma to come upstairs. Her nerves would eventually get the best of her and she'd fall into an exhausted sleep before Emma even made it back to the room.

Tonight would be the last chance they'd have for this kind of uninterrupted time together. And she was determined that this would be the night the two of them consummated their love.

This fit easily into her plans. A lazy day around the pool would be just the foreplay they needed. She and Kathryn had searched the stores high and low until they found a bikini that would be sure to send Emma's blood pressure soaring.

"I'm gonna go up and get changed," Emma rose and turned to walk away before looking up and catching Tiana's eye. She gave her a bashful smile before picking up her plate and silverware and putting them away in the dishwasher. "I'll meet you outside," she told Regina after a quick peck on her cheek.

Emma ran upstairs and dug around her drawer for a swimsuit. She grabbed the first two pieces she could get her hands on not caring what they looked like and quickly threw them on. She grabbed a towel, sunglasses, and some sunscreen then slid her feet into a pair of flip flops. She ran back downstairs as fast as she could.

She had tried her best to make sure that Regina understood that their being there didn't mean she was trying to pressure her into anything. She'd developed a routine that had been working so far. She got up extra early and went through her morning routine before Regina even began to stir in the mornings. And she spent her nights talking with her grandfather until she could barely keep a coherent thought together before making her way up to bed so that Regina wouldn't feel any discomfort from sharing a bed with her.

She had promised her Mother to return her daughter to her perfectly intact and that was precisely what she'd planned to do. The woman was nicknamed the Queen of Hearts because she seemed to love nothing more than crushing the students' hearts and driving them to tears. She terrified her and there was no way she was going to cross her.

She had just reached the bottom stair when she ran into her Mother and a smarmy looking guy with a prosthetic hand. He leered at her and Emma instantly felt an intense dislike to him.

"Emma, I'd like you to meet my new assistant, Killian," Snow preened as she grinned over at him.

Emma's brow furrowed as she had no idea how to take this. Her Mother had never cared about her opinion on anything and there really wasn't much that Emma knew about her personal life. Still, it was weird thinking of her Mother as a flesh and blood woman with needs. But the way she ran her hand along her assistant's arm made it clear that it wasn't just work he was assisting her with.

She pasted on a polite smile as she put her hand out to meet his good one, "nice to meet you."

Killian practically fell over himself as he settled back with his hips jutted forward. He gripped Emma's hand in his tightly and practically ogled her as he grinned before bringing her hand up to his lips, "the pleasure is all mine love."

Emma kept her face straight to hide the sick feeling she got from him sliming over her hand. She quickly took back her hand and slyly wiped it on her towel as she folded her arms across her. She silently cursed herself for not throwing on a cover up before racing downstairs but she had wanted to give Regina space before she went up and changed. The way he was grinning and gawking at her made her want to puke. He wasn't even trying to hide his repulsive behavior.

Snow looked her daughter up and down with distaste written across her face as she watched Killian's reaction to her daughter. "Well, Emma needs to go now. I'm sure her _girlfriend_ is wondering where she is." Snow spat out as she glared at her daughter.

Emma flushed as she reeled from her Mother's rebuke before taking the hint and rushing through the living room and out the sliding glass doors. She had no idea how or why the smallest comments from her Mother affected her so but at least she'd mastered being able to cover up her hurt feelings. You'd think after all these years she'd be more used to it. Though Tiana and her Grandfather did their best to make up for it she still always felt like that lost little girl inside of her that wanted nothing more than her Mother to see and love her for who she was.

"See you soon love," Killian called after her.

Emma didn't even bother to answer him as she quickly made her way out to the pool. She rolled her shoulders and tried her best to shrug off the incident as she made her way over to one of the lounge chairs that surrounded the pool. She went over to the juice bar where the stereo system stood and hooked her phone up to it. She got some music playing before she went back to the lounge chairs and took off her flip flops. She plopped herself down and began to rub sunscreen over her body as she waited for her girlfriend to catch up to her.

Snow, meanwhile, sneered at the buffoon by her side. She had picked him out of all of the candidates to be her personal assistant and he didn't even have the good sense not to swoon after her daughter in her face. "My Father is waiting you witless wonder," she snapped at him as she walked into the den leaving him to follow behind her with a stupefied expression on his face.

She knocked at the door to his study then turned the handle. Her father knew they were coming so there was no need for formalities or niceties. She confidently strode into the room ignoring her father's look of annoyance at being disturbed by her, "Father, I'd like you to meet my new assistant, Killian Jones."

Her father sighed before pasting on an affable expression. His eyes fell upon Killian's prosthetic hand and he started to frown but he caught himself and covered up his reaction quickly. He rose and held his hand out to him, "ahh! The up and newcomer I hear. My daughter tells me that you're a hard worker."

Killian's glee that the old man even bothered to take notice of him could barely be concealed. He practically ran over and pumped the old man's hand, "it's great to meet you sir. Anything you need – night or day - I'm at your full disposal."

The Charming family ran a number of profitable businesses. Leopold had been dubbed the King of the White Kingdom after taking over a failed business from his own father and turning it into a success. Now the family fortune was rumored to be in the hundreds of millions. With this job being promoted to the Assistant to the daughter he'd been grooming to take over after him, Killian could easily see himself being set for life.

The scraping sound of the glass doors in the next room opening drew their attention from one another. Leopold's study overlooked the outdoor swimming pool. Through the floor to ceiling windows that outlined that side of the house they had a perfect view of Emma putting sunscreen on and Regina walking over to join her.

Snow stood between the two imbeciles who had stupidity written across their faces. Killian looked like a lovelorn schoolboy as he stared at Emma and her Father looked like a predator who'd just eyed an easy prey as he stared at Regina. Again a flash of jealousy and anger went through her. "Well – we won't keep you any longer from your - ,' she looked out the windows and then back at the flushed faces of the two oversexed idiots who stood before her making it clear to them that they weren't fooling anyone, With another look out the window she spat out, "work." Again she turned and left the study before anyone could say anything leaving Killian to follow her.

"It was nice to meet you sir," he waved with his good hand as he hurried to follow Snow.

Leopold turned his attention back to the windows. His eyes remained riveted out the window as he stared at the two girls who were completely oblivious to his attentions.

SQ

Regina had finished her breakfast while making small talk with Tiana. The woman had an easygoing affable nature and she made Regina feel comfortable around her. They had gotten along well in the short time that they had gotten to know one another. They had even swapped coveted secret family recipes after Tiana found out that Regina was an accomplished cook.

She had just finished her meal when Tiana leaned forward against the counter, "I'm really glad that Emma has you. You've been great for her."

Regina was touched, "thank you. But I'm the one who's pretty lucky to have her. I think she's been pretty great for me."

Tiana's eyes sparkled with mirth, "You've brought out a side of her that I haven't seen before. And for that you will always be welcome at my table," she nodded at her as she took her empty plate. "You'd better hurry up now chil'. Your vacation's almost over. You'd better make it count."

With a wave and a smile, Regina left the kitchen and made her way up to the room she shared with Emma. Tiana had no idea how prophetic her words were since making it count was precisely what she had in mind. She changed into a red two piece that she had bought just for this occasion. She planned to use their last day together as foreplay for what was to happen that night.

She grabbed a towel, sunscreen, sunglasses, flip flops, and threw on a cover up before making her way out to pool. As she opened the glass doors leading outside, she heard the strains of Emma's favorite reggaeton duo, Wisin y Yandel, beating away. Though Emma couldn't speak Spanish she had taken to Regina's culture quickly and now she played reggaeton all the time.

"Fancy meeting you here," Emma called from one of the lounge chairs that sat beside the pool. She was sitting up putting sunscreen on herself. She wore a black bikini top with red bikini bottoms. Regina found it hard to tear her eyes away from her.

After drinking in the sight of Emma in a bikini she shrugged off her lust induced daze. This wasn't about her. She had already made up her mind that Emma was it for her. She was in love. And she wanted to share everything with her. And that included the love that she had for her on a more primal level. She knew Emma was attracted to her. But the right now was about getting Emma in the mood so that they were both on the same level.

She put a swing in step and swung her hips extra hard. She smirked as she pretended not to notice Emma's eyes glued to her body. She gave an exaggerated bend from her hips as she leaned over and placed her things on the lounge chair next to Emma's before daintily sitting down and slowly crossing her legs. She slowly pulled her coverup and shoes off and watched with glee as Emma tried really hard to avert her head even though her eyes kept sliding back over to her anyway.

"Here," she rose and sat beside Emma grabbing the sunscreen from her hands. "Let me do that," she held out her hand for the sunscreen.

Emma swallowed thickly as her breathing sped up and her blinking became slow and exaggerated. She stared into the beautiful brown orbs that she'd fallen in love with before Regina had even known she existed as she tried to come up with an excuse for what she knew was going to be nothing but a bad idea. It was already hard enough for her to function around Regina. Her rubbing oil into her body would just make her - . No! She refused to allow her mind to go there. When her mind remained muddled and she couldn't come up with a reason to say no, she began to stumble and fumble with the sunscreen as she tried to hand it over.

Regina chuckled as Emma fumbled with the bottle before handing it to her with a flushed face and a mumbled, "sorry." She placed her hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her forward. When Emma followed her lead and turned her body fully forward, she squirted a dollop of sunscreen into her hands. She relished the shiver she felt go through Emma's body as she gently began to run her hands up and down her toned body.

Despite Emma's 'I give no f-ks' attitude when it came to school, she excelled in almost all of the school sports. She and her roommate Mulan were either captains or co-captains of almost every single one the school had to offer. She wore the results of it on her body well.

Her unruly mess of hair was thrown up in a messy bun that left her slim, strong shoulders exposed. Her hands were slightly calloused but Regina loved the feel of them when they held hands. Her arms, abs, back, and legs were strong and sculpted. She was soft yet firm in all the right places. Regina had to work hard to control her breathing as she allowed her hands to roam free over her girlfriend's amazing body.

Emma was also finding it hard to control her breathing. And – well – almost everything else. She prided herself on the discipline that it took to maintain her place as a sports legend of the school. But Regina pulling off the dress that she used as a wrap and sitting there in a tiny red bikini was really doing things to her.

The bikini was tinier than anything even she'd ever owned. The red complimented her olive skin tone perfectly. The top was held in place by thin spaghetti straps that ran up Regina's narrow shoulders and put her cleavage on display. The bottoms were held together on the sides by thin strips of fabric that clung to her narrow hips like a second skin. She tried searching her mind for a quick joke to break the tension that was in the air but it was really hard for her concentrate with her girlfriend's gorgeous body on full display. The only things she could think of were all of the things she wanted to do to her right now.

"There," Regina patted her back before turning away. Emma almost wept with relief at the release from the strain that the tension of holding herself in check took. "Now you can do me," she ignored the shock on Emma's face and reached around her to hand her the sunscreen bottle. She turned her back and used the hair tie around her wrist to move her hair out of the way.

Emma stared at Regina's exposed back and shoulders dumbly. She pulled herself together and with a large gulp, she poured the lotion into her hand and began to gingerly rub it in.

"You don't have to be so gentle," Regina chuckled. "I'm not made of glass. I promise I won't break."

Emma rolled her eyes as she silently warred with herself to stop acting like a teen boy with a hard on. She loved Regina and owed her more respect than that. She barked out a small laugh and began rubbing in the sunscreen with harder and faster strokes.

At first Regina was a little nervous. They made out quite a bit. They had even moved up to heavy petting. But Emma was always the perfect lady. She never pushed her into anything. She always let her take the lead. She found herself sighing as Emma's touch began to fill her with a warmth that was starting to make her toes curl. A throbbing began deep within her core and it took every ounce of her willpower not to throw Emma down and have her way with her then and there.

Emma gave a sharp intake of breath as she felt Regina's body becoming limp. She had begun leaning farther back into Emma's touch until she was practically on her lap. When Regina slowly turned around to look up at her, she was certain her heart would explode out of her chest. All she could feel was a rush in her head as every thought she had flew out of it.

Regina gave Emma a naughty smile that made her eyes crinkle. It was in that moment right before their eyes met that Emma knew she was done for.

After turning her body toward her fully, Regina lazily reached up to place first one arm and then the other on Emma's shoulders. She pulled herself up on bended knees that rested between Emma's thighs. She watched Emma's lust blown eyes half close as she slowly inched forward and fused their lips together.

Emma moaned from the physical contact. She knew she should do the right thing and put a stop to this before things got too far. But she had spent the past few months ignoring her needs. Now – this close – she couldn't deny them anymore.

Regina took the opportunity of Emma's mouth parting on a moan to deepen their kiss. Her tongue invaded the warm, wet space beyond as Emma sucked on the protruding muscle. She pushed herself against Emma until they were both in a reclining position. Emma's hands came around her waist and her hands grasped her shoulders as the two melded their bodies closer together.

Emma's mind and body were both on fire. Her hips bucked upwards involuntarily searching for friction to relieve the pressure that was building up even as she tried to get a grasp on the situation. When Regina released her mouth so that they could both get a breath in she managed to gain enough control to pull away, "Wait! We can't! I mean – I didn't bring you here to - ," she gestured down at both of their bodies.

Regina shook her head and chuckled before she took the hand Emma was using to try and push her away and pinned her wrist above her head instead. She stared down into her girlfriend's beautiful green eyes that had turned a dark moss color as her excitement climbed, "I know!" She reached for her other wrist and pinned it on the other side of her head, "but this is what I want," she husked in a voice dripping with pure sex. Emma's hips again involuntarily bucked against her girlfriend's thigh. She bent her head and dropped a soft kiss onto thin pale lips before meeting and holding her eyes, "It's why I came here. I'm ready."

Emma gasped surprised. Regina's hips began to slowly rock against her – sending her pulse into hyperdrive. She knew she should stop but she couldn't. Her body wanted this just as much as she did. Still, someone had to keep their head here, "You sure? I mean – you don't have to. I don't mind waiting. I'm - ," Emma cut off as Regina dipped her head and ran her tongue along her jawline. Another moan escaped her lips and her body became flooded with wetness.

Regina traced Emma's jaw with her tongue before grabbing ahold of those delectable lips again. Her hand reached down between them as she cupped Emma's breast and squeezed lightly, "I'm sure," she whispered against her mouth.

Emma easily slipped her wrists free as she brought them down to Regina's hips, "okay," she grinned. "But uh - ," she looked toward the house, "I think we should go inside, ya know?"

Regina giggled which in turn made Emma do the same. The two took a moment to compose themselves. She slid off of Emma's body and sat up on the lounge chair as they both tried to control their heavy breathing. She looked toward the house, "Give me 20 minutes," she rose and turned toward the house. "Not a second before!" she raised a finger in warning before she quickly sauntered away.

Emma stared after her girlfriend. God she loved that woman! She sat up a little unsteadily as she tried to compose herself. She wanted Regina so badly she was shaking. She began gathering their things together. She wrapped the sunscreen and their sunglasses inside of her towel and placed Regina's cover up on top of it. She walked over to the juice bar and set them down as she began to scroll through her phone for something to do to pass the time.

WK

Snow had led Killian through the living room and into the den next door before she rounded on him after leaving her Father's office. "You ungrateful bastard! After all I've done for you!"

Killian was stunned. He had no idea what he had done – except well – be a man, "I – I - I'm sorry," he stammered. "I meant no disrespect!" he held up both his hands in submission.

"How dare you!? I brought you here to help you! And you repay me by acting like an oversexed teenager! I could've helped make your career. But now – I promise that I will end you!" she snarled at him.

Killian was at a loss. He was a man. And her daughter was – well. Obviously the boss' daughter would be off-limits to one such as him. Though he never had a problem collecting notches on his bedposts the female of the species still had a way of throwing him for a loop.

He would be able to understand better if they were dating. But she had just offered him this job promotion a week after he'd started off as a clerk in the mailroom. He had jumped at the opportunity as anyone with half a brain would. She had been making advances on him the entire time. He'd noticed she'd gotten possessive of him but still – she was his boss. And he wasn't attracted to her.

Though her advances were unwanted and unwarranted he'd allowed her behavior to go unchecked because he desperately needed and wanted this job. He'd come from nothing. Now Snow was offering him the keys to the kingdom. He'd had to worse things than being led on by a woman to get by before. He could endure her for however long he needed to in order to continue his climb up the career ladder.

He could tell she was steaming. Still he was sure he could turn this around. He walked over to Snow and lowered his voice until it came out as a husk. He lifted her hand in his and locked her gaze with his eyes before slowly bringing her hand up to his lips. It was a seduction that had always worked for him in the past. And if her heaving bosom was any indication, it was working for him now, "Love, I swear to you, there will never be any before or above you. On my honor," he drawled slowly as he placed her hand over his chest.

Again the sliding glass doors opening and closing pulled both their gazes out through the open doorway before a blur of red and black flew past. Then Leopold showed up. Snow looked at her Father curiously as his study door opened and he stood in the doorway. From the opposite direction she could make out Emma's girlfriend making her way towards the stairs. Her face hardened with disgust. Killian looked between Father and daughter as he tried to figure out what was going on.

Leopold hadn't even noticed the couple as he watched Emma's girlfriend made her way upstairs with hungry eyes. The tiny bikini she was wearing left nothing to the imagination and her hips swung seductively as she continued upstairs with no awareness of the show she was putting on nor her audience down below. As if in a trance, he began to make his way up the stairs behind her.

Snow walked out into the open living room with her eyes glued to her Father. She knew that look. She was unfortunately usually at the other end of it. She glanced out the doors and saw her daughter making herself a drink at the juice bar oblivious to what was going on inside the house just as she always had been.

Snow shook her head with revulsion. If she didn't have the scars to prove it she never would've guessed she was even her daughter. She turned back toward the stairs as she watched first Regina make her way to the room that she shared with her daughter. Then her Father began to follow her at a slower pace.

Dread pooled in Snow's belly as she knew without question what was about to happen. Killian's betrayal was for the moment forgotten as she turned to him and began to do what she'd been doing for her Father since she was a young girl. Cleaning up his messes.

"Get Emma," she commanded as she began to make her way to the stairs. "Tell her that she has to go with you to pick something up from town. Do NOT take no for an answer. Make sure you stay gone for at least an hour," she instructed before she began to walk upstairs.

Kilian had no idea what was going on. But from the tone of her voice, he wasn't going to question her now. Nor was he going to turn down an opportunity to spend time alone with her daughter. With a bounce in his step, he headed out toward the pool.

ES

Curiously, Emma turned toward the glass doors as she heard them open. She'd thought she was supposed to meet Regina upstairs. When she saw her Mother's assistant instead, her lips began to tug down instead of up.

Killian noticed the change in demeanor but didn't let it bother him at all. He fancied himself an attractive lad and he'd never had any problem getting a woman before. Still, this one was special. Just watching her standing there made him want to give up his wicked ways and settle down, "we meet again love."

Emma rolled her eyes before turning back toward the drink she'd just poured herself to calm her nerves. She had no interest in some slimy one handed loser when she had a goddess upstairs waiting on her. Instead of answering, she looked at the time on the phone and counted 2 minutes were down and she had 18 more to go before joining her Queen.

Killian wasn't the least put out by her slight, "Your Mum says there's something in town that she needs. She insisted you come along."

Two lines appeared between Emma's eyes as she frowned at him. Her Mother didn't send her for errands. In fact, she didn't seem to have any use for Emma at all, "Well, I'm not dressed right now so I guess that's on you," she pointedly turned the stool she was sitting on around and began to tap away at her phone.

Killian walked over to the lounge chairs she and Regina had been on earlier and grabbed Regina's wrap. "No worries love. This should only take a few minutes," he walked over and handed Emma the coverup.

Regina's cover up was basically a flowy wrap around dress. It was light but it also covered everything beneath. Emma grabbed it from her Mother's gross boyfriend mostly because she didn't want his hands on anything that belonged to her. She threw it on because it was better than standing in front of him wearing nothing but a bikini, "I have more important plans."

Killian reached out and grabbed her hand, "we'll be back in a jiffy love." He pulled her behind him as he rounded the house. The last thing he saw before leaving the glass windows behind was Snow standing on the stairwell staring upward.

Emma followed unsure of what to say. She didn't want to go. She wanted to be with her Regina. But her hand was locked in a vice grip as she was practically dragged along behind her Mother's assistant.

Regina was expecting her upstairs in 16 minutes. She bit her lip as she did a quick calculation in her head. If they were running into town that would take them 45 minutes one way at least. But her Mother had to have sent him out there to get her which meant it was important to her in some way.

She still didn't want to go but she guessed a quick errand for her Mother couldn't hurt. They still had all day and all night to be together. And this douche was definitely a turn-off. That would give her some added time to cool off before the she met her love upstairs.

They quickly made their way to Killian's convertible. With a flourishing bow, he opened the door and she threw one last look behind her at the house. She quickly tapped out a text to Regina telling her that she was running an errand and would be right back. Then she slid into the empty seat and waited for this torture to be over.


	9. There's Nothing Inside

**CHAPTER 9**

Emma turned to the swarmy idiot beside her as they pulled into a liquor store parking lot. "I thought you said my Mom needed something important."

Killian grinned at the girl and winked, "depends on your level of thirst." He got out of the car and started to walk toward the door. When he noticed she wasn't following him, he turned back toward her, "aren't you coming?"

Emma's answer to him was a death glare that finally got through his thick skull. She breathed a huge sigh of relief when he walked into the store and left her alone.

She huffed and ran a frustrated hand through her hair. She had sworn to Regina that they were just going on a quick errand. And now she finds out that it was a useless one at that. She pulled out her phone and shot out a quick text. **_Sorry about this my love. We should be back in about an hour._**

She glowered at the loser as he returned to the car with a large brown bottle in his hand. He was costing her quality private time with her true love and she wasn't amused with any of his antics.

If Killian noticed the frosty atmosphere, then he did a good job of hiding it. He grinned at her as he popped back into the car. "I got us some rum. The spice of life love," he waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

Emma turned away and crossed her arms over her chest just to stop herself from reaching over and wringing his neck, "Just get me home."

She spent the entire rest of the ride back home cursing the idiot under her breath.

Once they pulled back up to the house, she jumped out of the car before it had completely stopped. She ran into the house intent on one mission. Get to Regina ASAP.

She had made it to the staircase and had one foot on the first stair when "Emma!" her Mother's voice rang out like a shrill bird's cry that made her wince and give an involuntary shudder at the sound of it. She had caught her while her weight was in the process of shifting. This caused her to stumble but luckily she grabbed the railing just in time to prevent her taking a nasty fall.

Snow made her way from her Father's den. She looked at Killian who had finally made it inside and was staring at her with the same confused expression that Emma was giving her. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He held out the bottle of rum he'd picked up while clearing his throat, "I was out on that little errand you sent us out on."

She snatched the bottle away, "You can leave now. I'll see you in the office on Monday."

Killian still had no idea what was going on. But he had had enough insanity for the day. As long as he was still able to keep his job – and even better for him – his salary – he was fine. He turned and quickly made his way from the house.

Snow turned toward her daughter, "Your little girlfriend left here in a hurry. Seems she got what she wanted and felt no need to play house with you anymore."

"What?!" she stared at her Mother in disbelief. She blinked rapidly repeatedly as she shook her head, "That's not possible. Regina would never do something like that."

Snow drew back from her daughter with a leer, "are you calling me a liar?"

"No!" she assured her. "I'm just - ," she trailed off before turning and running up the stairs to her room. What she found made her belly rise up into her throat.

Her bed was bare of its linens and there was the distinct odor of cleansers in the air. The room was clean and there was none of Regina's things to be found anywhere.

Despite staring at a clearly emptied room, she just couldn't believe what she was seeing. She opened her closet but only found her own clothes. She went through the dresser drawers and only found her things folded neatly inside.

"I don't understand," she breathed out her voice breaking along with her heart. She practically fell heavily upon the bare mattress as her legs gave out beneath her. The room became blurry as tears began to cloud her vision.

Snow – who had been right on her heels – finally made it in the room. She stared at her daughter with undisguised disgust while shaking her head at her, "I told you that little whore got what she came for and now she's gone."

Her words and biting tone barely registered through the ringing in Emma's ears, "what?" she asked stupefied.

Snow snorted and turned as she began to make her way back downstairs, "when you're done with your pity party you can meet me downstairs. We have A LOT to talk about."

Emma stared after the figure that had turned into a blurry blob as her tears made their way down her cheeks. She had heard her Mother just fine but was still just barely able to register the meaning of her words. The only thing she was able to process was that the love of her life had just left her. She felt as if someone was literally ripping her heart out.

The lump in her throat threatened to suffocate her as her tears began to fall faster. She could feel hysteria bubbling in her chest as she wrapped her arms tight around herself trying to control her trembling.

Regina knew. Emma had told her everything about herself. Things she'd never shared with anyone in the world. And she knew how Emma had spent her life feeling like a nuisance that wasn't really wanted by anyone before. And after swearing she'd never allow anything or anyone to hurt her – she'd done this. The more she cried the more congested she became until she could barely breathe. Still, she couldn't keep herself from wondering; why?

The more the she mulled the question over in her head, the more she came up empty. Her tears left a hot trail down her heated cheeks as she tried desperately to cling to some hope that this was all just a bad joke.

Once her tears had abated enough for her to begin to breathe properly, she remembered her phone. She lifted her hip and with trembling fingers managed to slip her phone from her pocket. First she tried to text her. When she received no answer to her question demanding to know where she was she pushed the number that was first on her call list. When she got Regina's voicemail for the fourth time she threw the phone onto the mattress beside her before collapsing beside it.

"Please," she begged to the emptiness in the room that was beginning to creep inside of her. "Just come back to me."

CF

It had taken Emma almost two hours before she felt calm enough to face anyone. After crying for what seemed like forever, she'd managed to get up and make her way to the bathroom. She'd thrown cold water on her face as she stared at the stranger in the mirror. Her face was pale and drawn and her eyes were puffy and red. And even now she couldn't stop the tears from running down her cheeks.

She swiped angrily at them with the washcloth. She still had no clue as to what was going on. But she knew she needed to get ahold of herself.

She sniffled and exited the room. She needed to talk to Tiana. Hopefully she'd be able to make sense of this situation.

She went downstairs and out the patio doors. She walked around the pool and kept going until she came to the outer edge of the property. Tiana had her own cottage there. She had lived in the house when Emma was a baby. But after Emma went to boarding school she had said she needed her own space. Grandfather had even had the cottage built to her own personal specifications. She'd always said being near the gardens made her happy.

"Tiana!" Emma called as she entered the cottage without knocking. The place was her home away from the hell that her home was. It was the place she felt the closest to being herself at.

What she found when she opened that door nearly made her heart stop. Nothing. There was nothing there. The entire cottage was empty.

Emma stood frozen on the threshold for what seemed to be an eternity. A loud noise from outside made her jump slightly and forced her from her trance as her numbed mind began to process what she was seeing before her.

None of the great smells emanating from the infusers that Tiana loved which had been constants in Emma's life were present. There was nothing bubbling away on the stove from a woman who loved cooking almost as much as she loved Emma.

All of the photographs they'd taken over the years together were missing. The large wooden spoon and fork that hung over the arch of the kitchen were missing.

She quickly ran into one of the two bedrooms only to find the same thing had happened there. All of Tiana's personal items were gone. The collection of frogs that she had spent years collecting were no longer anywhere to be found. The drawers and closets that were left open were obviously empty. There was nothing. No sign of anything or anyone at all.

Emma could feel another breakdown coming on. But she forced the pain and tears away with every ounce of willpower she had. She just needed to know what the hell was going on?! She'd been dragged away against her will to run an errand for her Mother. And in those two hours the two most important people in her life had disappeared.

Her fingers gripped tightly at her hair as her back fell against the wall. Her legs gave out and she slid down to the floor as her cries erupted from her in high pitched squeaks. She pulled her knees up close to her chest and wrapped her arms tight around them.

Unlike earlier she now welcomed the hysteria that had been threatening to overwhelm her all day. Outwardly, her body trembled uncontrollably as the pain inside of her threatened to cut off all her air.

What the hell had just happened to her life?!

 **CF**

It was hours later before Emma awoke from the cramped fetal position she had fallen into while she'd cried. She winced as her body protested lying in such an uncomfortable position for an extended period of time.

Her head was pounding and her eyes hurt from all of the crying she'd done. She knew she looked a fright. But she didn't care. Everything she had ever loved had just been ripped away from her. And even worst – she had no idea what she had done to cause this.

She left Tiana's place and made her way back up to the main house. She had just entered the house through the patio doors when the cold, biting tone of her Mother's voice stopped her, "I thought I told you to get down here after you were done with your pity party."

Emma's head swung her way but she didn't bother to address any of the insults. Instead, she stopped and stared at her Mother searching for – anything. What she found only made her want to back up and run the other way. Snow was staring at her as if she were her nemesis.

Her lips were curled over her teeth in almost a snarl. Her eyes were full of not only her usual disapproval but what appeared to be almost hatred. Though they were never easy to handle, Emma was used to Snow's hostilities and barely veiled insults. She was used to having to fight for any kind of affection or recognition from her in any way. But today was just not the day for her.

Instead of answering her, she continued to walk on. She had had enough for today. There was only so much heartache a person was able to handle at a time.

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" Snow shouted as she marched out of her office.

Emma stood rooted to the spot as she stared at Snow wide eyed. Snow normally never lost her cool. She made it clear that she had no want, love, or care for Emma. But she had never seen her this angry before. She swallowed thickly as her Mother came practically nose to nose with her.

Though petite, the tiny brunette was also formidable when she had her sights set on something. And right now those sights were unfortunately set on Emma.

"I told you that we had a lot to talk about," she clamped her hand around her arm and practically shoved her into her office before slamming the door behind the both of them.

She stomped over to her desk leaving a confused Emma to stand there gaping at her Mother.

"Do you see this?" she picked up what appeared to be a ledger and practically shoved it beneath her nose. "Read it!" she yelled as she thrust the book toward her.

"Pay to the order of - ," Emma's face scrunched as she stared at the words unable to process them. She raised her eyes to meet her Mother's, "I don't understand."

Snow sneered at her and shook her head. "If it weren't for the horrible scars I sometimes question whether or not you really are mine." Emma reddened as Snow grabbed the book away from her and tossed it onto the desk behind her. "Let me spell it out for you. That little whore you brought into this house seduced your Grandfather. Then she threatened to go to the police if we didn't pay up," she crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot as he waited for her words to be processed.

Emma's eyes had become impossibly wide and she could feel sickness rising in the back of her throat, "What?" she whispered. Tears were making their way down her face. But she was too far gone to care.

Her obliviousness just made Snow even madder, "Had we not agreed to her terms she could have ruined us! She was a whore. And your grandfather did what any other disgusting man would do when offered something. And all because YOU just had to bring that slut here and wave her underneath his nose!"

"I'm sorry," Emma said even though she had no idea what she was saying it for. This betrayal – it cut her even deeper than the outright rejection had. She only wanted to curl up somewhere and pretend that this day had never happened.

Snow snarled as she jabbed a finger at her chest, "I promise you every cent of that is coming out of your trust fund. You did this to us. The rest of us aren't going to pay the price for this." Snow made to leave the room.

"Tiana?" Emma asked in a broken voice just as the door opened behind her. She turned to face her Mother, "where – where is she?" she wrapped her arms around her trying to hold herself together.

Snow turned and shrugged, "how the hell should I know? You're too damned old for a nanny anyway." With a snort, she turned and left the room.

Emma didn't register the pain as her knees hit the floor. Nor did she have any awareness of her surroundings at all. She only felt a pain flooding through her that she never even known existed.

The last thing she was vaguely aware of before darkness closed in was the sound of her own gut-wrenching cries.

 **RQ**

"We're almost there," a nasally voice rang through the intercom system.

Regina pulled herself up from the current semi-crouched position she had fallen in and began to wipe at her face. There were no tears. She hadn't cried. She just – couldn't.

After Leopold (she still shuddered at even the thought of him)– had finished with her and finally left her alone–Snow had quickly entered the room. She'd forced Regina up literally by her hair and practically dragged her into the shower.

She turned the spray on so hot that it practically scalded her skin. But she hadn't cared. In fact she welcomed the pain. It helped distract her from the blood rushing and pain throbbing from between her legs. She'd stood numb beneath the spray until the water going down the drain had turned from red to clear again.

When she'd exited the bathroom, she'd found her bags packed. Snow informed her that there was a car waiting downstairs to take her home. When Regina had stared at her in a stupor she'd again grabbed her by the roots of her hair and forced her down the stairs and out the door.

She barely registered climbing into the car. She was so completely tuned out that she didn't even process when they'd started moving.

She'd been raped. Twice. By her girlfriend's grandfather.

Her breath came out in rapid puffs and she felt hysteria rising inside of her. But she wouldn't cry. She couldn't. She was frozen.

She jumped slightly when the voice announced that they were there. She had no clue what there even meant. It wasn't until he'd opened her door and stood staring at her curiously that she was able to recognize the house she'd spent most of her life in behind her.

Her eyes widened as she saw the ambulance with the back door hanging open in front of her. She watched emotionless as the EMT's exited her house with someone strapped to a gurney between them.

"Papi?" she cried as her body spirited her forward. "Papi!" her fear increased as she took in all the wires he was attached to and the oxygen mask covering his face.

"Regina?" her Mother asked surprised. She slammed the door shut as she quickly made her way to the ambulance. "I thought you were going to be gone until tomorrow."

Regina just stared wide-eyed at her Mother who stared back at her with her face pale and drawn. She wanted nothing more in that moment than to fall into her arms and tell her everything. Yet her feet remained rooted to the ground as if they were encased in hardened cement. It was the same way she felt inside herself now.

"We have to go!" one of the EMT's called out as they finished loading her Father into the ambulance.

"Coming," her Mother called out.

"Me too," Regina said as she scrambled inside the ambulance. She was pointed to a small seat by her Father's side.

She clung to one of her Father's hands as her Mother did the same on the other side. She knew she should be feeling something. But there was only the cold numbness that had taken up root from the moment Leopold had first touched her.

Though on the outside she was able to keep up a cool face. Inside she was broken.

Today her life had been changed forever. And there was no going back.


End file.
